Which to use
“según” is a preposition and “segundo” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #196
- “según” frequency rank
- #371
- “segundo” frequency rank
- 567
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | según | segundo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Conforme con, con arreglo a. | Que ocurre o se encuentra después del primero en una serie. Ordinal del dos. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set según and segundo apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: según is [seˈɣ̞ũn] while segundo is [seˈɣ̞ũn̪d̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 567, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
según is recorded at frequency rank #196, classified as aprep, pronounced [seˈɣ̞ũn]. segundo is at rank #371, tagged as anum, pronounced [seˈɣ̞ũn̪d̪o].
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 567, this pair ranks #323,257 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of según vs segundo
Shared letters: egns. Private to "según": ú. Private to "segundo": dou.
"según" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "segundo" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- segundo ← cegundo · esgundo · seggundo · segnudo · segudno · segunddo · segunndo · segunod
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "según" and "segundo" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "según" or "segundo"?
Remembering según vs segundo
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “según”; for a num, it's “segundo”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “según” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable