Which to use
“coin” and “cost” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,891
- “coin” frequency rank
- #22,928
- “cost” frequency rank
- 64819
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coin | cost |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural de cù | custo |
Where the eye mixes coin and cost
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. coin (CVVC) and cost (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: coin vs cost
A purely visual mix-up. coin (/konʲ/) and cost (/ˈkɔst/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64819, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
coin is recorded at frequency rank #41,891, classified as anoun, pronounced /konʲ/. cost is at rank #22,928, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɔst/.
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 64819, this pair ranks #5,620 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of coin vs cost
Shared letters: co. Private to "coin": in. Private to "cost": st.
"coin" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "cost" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "coin" for "cost" ever safe?
Frequency check: "coin" vs "cost" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "coin" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cost" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #5,620 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coin" and "cost" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "coice vs coin". 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 #5,620 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.