Which to use
“tone” is a verb and “tos” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,488
- “tone” frequency rank
- #9,550
- “tos” frequency rank
- 54038
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tone | tos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de tonar. | 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 tone and tos apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tone is [ˈt̪one] while tos is [ˈt̪os]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54038, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tone is recorded at frequency rank #44,488, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪one]. 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 54038, this pair ranks #85,069 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tone vs tos
Shared letters: ot. Private to "tone": en. Private to "tos": s.
"tone" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "tos" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tone ← otne · tnoe · toen · tonne · ttone
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tone" and "tos" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tone" or "tos"?
Remembering tone vs tos
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “tone”; for a noun, it's “tos”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tone” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable