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 eye mixes sección and selección
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. sección runs 7 letters (CVCCVVC) against selección's 9 (CVCVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: sección vs selección
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sección" and "selección" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sección" or "selección"?
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 "sección" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "selección" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #320,162 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sección" and "selección" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "selección vs seleccionan". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #320,162 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.