Which to use
“cost” is a noun and “Costco” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,234
- “cost” frequency rank
- #40,695
- “Costco” frequency rank
- 54929
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cost | Costco |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Coût. | Société de commerce de détail opérant une chaîne de distribution fonctionnant sur le principe de libre-service de gros avec adhésion. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cost and Costco apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: cost is anoun and Costcoaname. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “cost” sits inside “Costco”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54929, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cost is recorded at frequency rank #14,234, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɒst\. Costco is at rank #40,695, tagged as aname.
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 54929, this pair ranks #130,750 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cost vs Costco
Shared letters: cost. Private to "cost": -. Private to "Costco": -.
"cost" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Costco" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cost" and "Costco" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cost" or "Costco"?
Remembering cost vs Costco
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “cost”; for a name, it's “Costco”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cost” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable