topévstosWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: topé is a verb, tos is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“topé” is a verb and “tos” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,331
“topé” frequency rank
#9,550
“tos” frequency rank
45881
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature topé tos
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de topar. 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 topé and tos

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
topé
3 ch
tos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: topé is [t̪oˈpe] 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 45881, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

topé is recorded at frequency rank #36,331, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪oˈpe]. 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 45881, this pair ranks #128,944 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of topé vs tos

Shared letters: ot. Private to "topé": . Private to "tos": s.

"topé" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "tos" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "topé" and "tos" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "topé" is a verb and "tos" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "topé" or "tos"?
"tos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,550 in our Spanish list, against #36,331 for "topé". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list