Which to use
“tos” and “toy” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,550
- “tos” frequency rank
- #18,104
- “toy” frequency rank
- 27654
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tos | toy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | Toyaco. |
Where the eye mixes tos and toy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tos with toy
A purely visual mix-up. tos ([ˈt̪os]) and toy ([ˈt̪oj]) 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 a single letter - s in “tos” becomes y in “toy”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27654, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tos is recorded at frequency rank #9,550, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪os]. toy is at rank #18,104, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪oj].
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 27654, this pair ranks #225,794 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tos vs toy
Shared letters: ot. Private to "tos": s. Private to "toy": y.
"tos" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "toy" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tos" and "toy" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tos" or "toy"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "toy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #225,794 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tos" and "toy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "toy vs toys". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #225,794 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.