Which to use
“cost” and “Cs” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,234
- “cost” frequency rank
- #10,681
- “Cs” frequency rank
- 24915
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cost | Cs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Coût. | Pluriel de C. |
Where the eye mixes cost and Cs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cost with Cs
A purely visual mix-up. cost (\kɒst\) and Cs (\tseːs\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24915, 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\. Cs is at rank #10,681, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tseːs\.
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 24915, this pair ranks #343,852 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cost vs Cs
Shared letters: cs. Private to "cost": ot. Private to "Cs": -.
"cost" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Cs" · 2 letters · shape CC
Known mistypes of this pair
- cost ← ccost · cosst · costt · cots · csot · ocst
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cost" for "Cs" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cost" vs "Cs" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cost" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Cs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #343,852 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cost" and "Cs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "coon vs cost". 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 #343,852 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.