Which to use
“se” is a pronoun and “sí” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11
- “se” frequency rank
- #146
- “sí” frequency rank
- 157
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | se | sí |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (se reflexivo) Pronombre reflexivo anafórico que establece una correferencialidad con el sujeto de la oración en tercera persona. Equivalente al caso dativo, por lo que admite el refuerzo “a sí mismo”. | Palabra usada para expresar afirmación. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set se and sí apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
se and sí 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 a single letter - e in “se” becomes í in “sí” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 157, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
se is recorded at frequency rank #11, classified as apron, pronounced [se]. sí is at rank #146, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈsi].
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 157, this pair ranks #323,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "se" and "sí" be used interchangeably?
Remembering se vs sí
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “se”; for an adverb, it's “sí”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “se” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable