Which to use
“sam” is a noun and “sei” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,889
- “sam” frequency rank
- #48,072
- “sei” frequency rank
- 53961
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sam | sei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Arena. | Seis. |
Where the eye mixes sam and sei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sam vs sei
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sam is /sam/ while sei is /s̺ej/. 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 (noun vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53961, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sam is recorded at frequency rank #5,889, classified as anoun, pronounced /sam/. sei is at rank #48,072, tagged as anum, pronounced /s̺ej/.
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 53961, this pair ranks #85,426 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sam vs sei
Shared letters: s. Private to "sam": am. Private to "sei": ei.
"sam" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "sei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sam" for "sei" ever safe?
Frequency check: "sam" vs "sei" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #85,426 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sam" and "sei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sei vs stem". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #85,426 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.