Which to use
“toma” and “tos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #869
- “toma” frequency rank
- #9,550
- “tos” frequency rank
- 10419
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | toma | tos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acción o efecto de tomar (recibir o encargarse de algo). | 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 toma and tos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: toma vs tos
A purely visual mix-up. toma ([ˈt̪oma]) 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 10419, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
toma is recorded at frequency rank #869, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪oma]. 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 10419, this pair ranks #298,680 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of toma vs tos
Shared letters: ot. Private to "toma": am. Private to "tos": s.
"toma" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "tos" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- toma ← otma · tmoa · toam · tomma · ttoma
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "toma" and "tos" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "toma" or "tos" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "toma" 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 #298,680 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "toma" and "tos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tos vs toys". 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 #298,680 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.