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Credit score: what it means

A credit score is a number that predicts how likely you are to pay back a loan on time. It is computed from the information in your credit report: whether you pay on time, how much you owe relative to your limits, how long you have used credit and how many new accounts you opened.

In Spanish it is

Puntaje de crédito

Also written as: credit rating

A hand takes a leaflet out of a mailbox at an apartment building.

Verified on October 16, 2026

1 official source

See the whole dictionary

The full explanation

FICO is one brand of score; VantageScore is another, and each lender decides which one it uses. A higher score usually brings a lower interest rate and more loan options; each program publishes the minimum it accepts. You can check your report for free and dispute errors.

An example

A state assistance program requires a minimum score. Before applying, Diego checks his report, finds an account that is not his and disputes it; his score goes up.

You will see it in…

Each loan's and program's requirements (“minimum credit score”)
The mortgage application and the explanation of the rate you are offered
Your bank or card app that shows your score

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

More guides that use “credit score”

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

What a housing counselor does See free help

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

1. CFPB · Credit reports and scores key terms: credit score (external site) · in English · Verified on October 16, 2026