Which to use
“sea” is a verb and “spy” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #116
- “sea” frequency rank
- #48,092
- “spy” frequency rank
- 48208
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sea | spy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de ser. | Espía. |
Where the eye mixes sea and spy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between sea and spy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sea is [ˈsea] while spy is /spaɪ/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48208, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sea is recorded at frequency rank #116, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsea]. spy is at rank #48,092, tagged as anoun, pronounced /spaɪ/.
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 48208, this pair ranks #115,761 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sea vs spy
Shared letters: s. Private to "sea": ae. Private to "spy": py.
"sea" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "spy" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sea" for "spy" ever safe?
Which is more common, "sea" or "spy"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sea" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #115,761 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sea" and "spy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sei vs spy". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #115,761 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.