secciónvssesiónWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,330
“sección” frequency rank
#1,959
“sesión” frequency rank
3289
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sección sesión
Definition Acción o efecto de cortar o de seccionar. Cada una de las juntas o reuniones de un concilio, congreso, operación judicial, u otra corporación.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sección and sesión apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
sección
6 ch
sesión

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sección ([sekˈsjõn]) and sesión ([seˈsjõn]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3289, 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]. sesión is at rank #1,959, tagged as anoun, pronounced [seˈsjõn].

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 3289, this pair ranks #318,639 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sección vs sesión

Shared letters: einsó. Private to "sección": c. Private to "sesión": -.

"sección" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "sesión" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Frequency comparison

sección#1,330
sesión#1,959

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sección" and "sesión" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([sekˈsjõn] versus [seˈsjõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sección" or "sesión"?
"sección" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,330 in our Spanish list, against #1,959 for "sesión". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sección vs sesión

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