Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

El coma – coma (medical)
La coma - comma
El cuento - story
La cuenta – bill or count
El trompo – a child’s tops that spins
La trompa – a elephants trunk, snout or the front of a car
El suelo - ground
La suela – the sole of a shoe
El palo – a stick
La pala - shovel
El cepo – stock used for punishment
La cepa – origin of a family or a strain of a disease (flu)
El rato – a short time
La rata – rat
El peso – weight (body etc.)
La pesa – weight for lifting
El ojo - eye
La hoja – a leaf or page of a book
El ceño – frown
La seña – a mark, a description or signal
El bote – a boat or can
La bota – a boot
El limo – slime, mud or lime tree
La lima – a file for polishing or filing down
El velo -  veil
La vela – a sail of a boat or a candle
El libro – a book
La libra – a pound or a 5000 colon bill in Costa Rican slang
El puerto - port
La puerta - door
El paso – a mountain pass or act of moving something
La pasa - raisin
El cuerdo – the sane person
La cuerda – rope or cord
El caso – case (legal) or situation
La casa - house
El cerdo - pig
La cerda – a bristle (tooth brush etc.)
El plato – plate for eating
La plata - money
La pera – pear
La perra – female dog

Tiquismo of the week – Tavo is a Costa Rican term for jail. El tarro is also used.