Which to use
“sec” and “son” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,268
- “sec” frequency rank
- #534
- “son” frequency rank
- 4802
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sec | son |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Second, ¹⁄₆₀ of a minute. | One's male offspring. |
Where the eye mixes sec and son
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sec vs son
A purely visual mix-up. sec (/sɛk/) and son (/sʌn/) 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 4802, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sec is recorded at frequency rank #4,268, classified as anoun, pronounced /sɛk/. son is at rank #534, tagged as anoun, pronounced /sʌn/.
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 4802, this pair ranks #517,622 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sec vs son
Shared letters: s. Private to "sec": ce. Private to "son": no.
"sec" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "son" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sec" and "son" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "sec" or "son"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sec" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "son" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #517,622 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sec" and "son" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sec vs Sif". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #517,622 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.