ser

/[ˈseɾ]/ verb

Letters

3 characters

Frequency Rank

#39

in Spanish word usage

Misspellings

0

tracked variants

Confusables

20

similar word pairs

ser is aSpanishverb. It means: Tener algo una determinada naturaleza, propiedad o cualidad estable. Pronounced [ˈseɾ]. It ranks #39 in Spanish word frequency. Often confused with su and sí.

Key facts for ser
PropertyValue
Headwordser
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈseɾ]
Letters3
Frequency rank#39
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of ser in Spanish word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for ser is 3 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈseɾ]. Corpus data places it at rank #39 in overall Spanish word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language.Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No frequent misspelling variants are recorded for ser in our index, suggesting the orthography either follows predictable Spanish patterns or the word is uncommon enough that typo corpora lack signal.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "su", "sí", "so", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct Spanish form is ser, spelled S-E-R, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tener algo una determinada naturaleza, propiedad o cualidad estable.
  2. 2
    Seguido de la descripción de una acción, consistir en ella.
  3. 3
    Haber una cosa; admitir uno o varios predicados.
  4. 4
    Suceder o acontecer.
  5. 5
    Proceder o provenir de un lugar, tener un origen.
  6. 6
    Pertenecer o identificarse con un lugar.
  7. 7
    Pertenecer a la posesión o dominio de alguno.
  8. 8
    Servir, aprovechar o conducir para alguna cosa.
  9. 9
    Estar en algún lugar o situación.
  10. 10
    Se usa para decir la hora o fecha.
  11. 11
    Tener algo un valor o precio.
  12. 12
    Se usa para dar el resultado de una operación aritmética.
  13. 13
    Corresponder o adecuarse una conducta a una persona.
  14. 14
    Sirve para afirmar o negar en lo que se dice o pretende.
  15. 15
    Junto con nombres que significan empleo, ocupación o ministerio vale ejercitarlos u ocuparse en ellos.
  16. 16
    Dicho de una persona: haber alcanzado su máximo apogeo.
  17. 17
    Fracasar, quedar obsoleto o perder todas las chances para repuntar.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Frequency rank: #39 in Spanish

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ser"?
"ser" is spelled S-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈseɾ].
What does "ser" mean?
As a verb, "ser" means: Tener algo una determinada naturaleza, propiedad o cualidad estable.
What words are commonly confused with "ser"?
"ser" is commonly confused with "su", "sí", "so". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ser"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ser" is [ˈseɾ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ser" come from?
"ser" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Nearby Spanish words

Other entries that begin with the letter S in our Spanish index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.