secciónvsselecciónWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“sección” and “selección” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,330
“sección” frequency rank
#1,183
“selección” frequency rank
2513
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sección selección
Definition Acción o efecto de cortar o de seccionar. Elección de una persona o cosa entre otras, como separándola de ellas y prefiriéndola.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sección and selección apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
sección
9 ch
selección

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sección ([sekˈsjõn]) and selección ([selekˈsjõn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2513, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sección is recorded at frequency rank #1,330, classified as anoun, pronounced [sekˈsjõn]. selección is at rank #1,183, tagged as anoun, pronounced [selekˈsjõn].

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 2513, this pair ranks #320,162 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sección vs selección

Shared letters: ceinsó. Private to "sección": -. Private to "selección": l.

"sección" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "selección" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

sección#1,330
selección#1,183

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sección" and "selección" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([sekˈsjõn] versus [selekˈsjõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sección" or "selección"?
"selección" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,183 in our Spanish list, against #1,330 for "sección". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sección vs selección

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sección” 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