Which to use
“tío” and “TOC” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,229
- “tío” frequency rank
- #17,835
- “TOC” frequency rank
- 20064
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tío | TOC |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hermano de la madre o del padre de una persona. | Trastorno caracterizado por pensamientos intrusivos, repetitivos y persistentes que producen gran ansiedad y otras molestias que el afectado trata de mitigar mediante rituales repetitivos denominados compulsiones. |
Where the eye mixes tío and TOC
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tío vs TOC
A purely visual mix-up. tío ([ˈt̪io]) and TOC ([ˈt̪ok]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20064, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tío is recorded at frequency rank #2,229, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪io]. TOC is at rank #17,835, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪ok].
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 20064, this pair ranks #260,960 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tío vs TOC
Shared letters: ot. Private to "tío": í. Private to "TOC": c.
"tío" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "TOC" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tío" for "TOC" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tío" vs "TOC" - which ranks higher?
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 "tío" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "TOC" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #260,960 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tío" and "TOC" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "TOC vs toys". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #260,960 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.