Which to use
“sad” is an adjective and “sua” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,972
- “sad” frequency rank
- #44,466
- “sua” frequency rank
- 63438
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sad | sua |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Triste, amarrido. | Forma del nominativo femenino singular de suus. |
Where the eye mixes sad and sua
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between sad and sua
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sad is /sæd/ while sua is /ˈsʷa/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63438, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sad is recorded at frequency rank #18,972, classified as anadj, pronounced /sæd/. sua is at rank #44,466, tagged as apron, pronounced /ˈsʷa/.
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 63438, this pair ranks #48,761 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sad vs sua
Shared letters: as. Private to "sad": d. Private to "sua": u.
"sad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "sua" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sad" and "sua" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "sad" vs "sua" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sad" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sua" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #48,761 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sad" and "sua" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sila vs sua". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #48,761 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.