Which to use
“tico” and “tóxico” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,842
- “tico” frequency rank
- #13,578
- “tóxico” frequency rank
- 39420
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tico | tóxico |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Originario, relativo a, o propio de Costa Rica. | Que por contacto, ingesta o inoculación resulta dañino, destructivo o aún letal para las funciones de un organismo vivo. |
Where the eye mixes tico and tóxico
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tico with tóxico
A purely visual mix-up. tico ([ˈt̪iko]) and tóxico ([ˈt̪oksiko]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39420, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tico is recorded at frequency rank #25,842, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪iko]. tóxico is at rank #13,578, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪oksiko].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 39420, this pair ranks #164,566 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tico vs tóxico
Shared letters: ciot. Private to "tico": -. Private to "tóxico": xó.
"tico" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "tóxico" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- tico ← itco · tcio · ticco · tioc · ttico
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tico" and "tóxico" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tico" or "tóxico"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tico" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tóxico" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #164,566 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tico" and "tóxico" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tapo vs tico". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #164,566 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.