Which to use
“cost” and “csi” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,234
- “cost” frequency rank
- #30,552
- “csi” frequency rank
- 44786
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cost | csi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Coût. | Ksi. |
Where the eye mixes cost and csi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: cost vs csi
A purely visual mix-up. cost (\kɒst\) and csi (\ˈksi\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44786, 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\. csi is at rank #30,552, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈksi\.
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 44786, this pair ranks #207,827 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cost vs csi
Shared letters: cs. Private to "cost": ot. Private to "csi": i.
"cost" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "csi" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- cost ← ccost · cosst · costt · cots · csot · ocst
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cost" for "csi" ever safe?
Which is more common, "cost" or "csi"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "cost" and "csi" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "cost" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "csi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #207,827 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cost" and "csi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "CCE vs csi". 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 #207,827 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.