Which to use
“cuco” and “curto” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,486
- “cuco” frequency rank
- #2,136
- “curto” frequency rank
- 32622
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cuco | curto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que tira partido de algo ou de uma pessoa, que é aproveitado, egoísta | que tem pouco comprimento |
Where the eye mixes cuco and curto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between cuco and curto
A purely visual mix-up. cuco (/'ku.kʊ/) and curto (/ˈkuɾ.tu/) 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 32622, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cuco is recorded at frequency rank #30,486, classified as anadj, pronounced /'ku.kʊ/. curto is at rank #2,136, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈkuɾ.tu/.
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 32622, this pair ranks #35,138 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cuco vs curto
Shared letters: cou. Private to "cuco": -. Private to "curto": rt.
"cuco" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "curto" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cuco" for "curto" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cuco" vs "curto" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cuco" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "curto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #35,138 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cuco" and "curto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cúbico vs cuco". 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 #35,138 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.