tíos vs tos, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“tíos” and “tos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,742
“tíos” frequency rank: #9,550
“tos” frequency rank: 19292
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	tíos	tos
Definition	Forma del plural de tío.	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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tíos and tos apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch

tíos

3 ch

tos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tíos ([ˈt̪ios]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19292, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tíos is recorded at frequency rank #9,742, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪ios]. 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 19292, this pair ranks #264,378 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tíos vs tos

Shared letters: ost. Private to "tíos": í. Private to "tos": -.

"tíos" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "tos" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

tíos#9,742

tos#9,550

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tíos" and "tos" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪ios] versus [ˈt̪os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "tíos" or "tos"?

"tos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,550 in our Spanish list, against #9,742 for "tíos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tíos vs tos

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tíos” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable