Which to use
“tío” and “tos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,229
- “tío” frequency rank
- #9,550
- “tos” frequency rank
- 11779
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tío | tos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hermano de la madre o del padre de una persona. | Contracción espasmódica repentina y a veces repetitiva de la cavidad torácica que resulta en una liberación violenta del aire de los pulmones produciendo un sonido característico. |
Where the eye mixes tío and tos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tío vs tos
A purely visual mix-up. tío ([ˈt̪io]) and tos ([ˈt̪os]) 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 11779, 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]. tos is at rank #9,550, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪os].
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 11779, this pair ranks #293,919 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tío vs tos
Shared letters: ot. Private to "tío": í. Private to "tos": s.
"tío" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "tos" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tío" and "tos" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "tío" vs "tos" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "tío" and "tos" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "tío" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #293,919 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tío" and "tos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tos vs toys". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #293,919 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.