sayvssuWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: say is a verb, su is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“say” is a verb and “su” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,225
“say” frequency rank
#20
“su” frequency rank
15245
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature say su
Definition Decir. Adjetivo posesivo de la tercera persona; de él, de ella, de ellos, de ellas.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set say and su apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
say
2 ch
su

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

say and su form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

say is recorded at frequency rank #15,225, classified as averb, pronounced /seɪ/. su is at rank #20, tagged as anadj, pronounced [su].

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 15245, this pair ranks #280,963 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

say#15,225
su#20

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "say" and "su" be used interchangeably?
No, "say" and "su" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering say vs su

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “say”; for an adjective, it's “su”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “say” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list