sei vs sentí, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“sei” is a num and “sentí” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#48,072
“sei” frequency rank: #3,447
“sentí” frequency rank: 51519
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	sei	sentí
Definition	Seis.	Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de sentir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sei and sentí apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

sei

5 ch

sentí

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sei is /s̺ej/ while sentí is [sẽn̪ˈt̪i]. 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 (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51519, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sei is recorded at frequency rank #48,072, classified as anum, pronounced /s̺ej/. sentí is at rank #3,447, tagged as averb, pronounced [sẽn̪ˈt̪i].

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 51519, this pair ranks #97,469 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sei vs sentí

Shared letters: es. Private to "sei": i. Private to "sentí": ntí.

"sei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "sentí" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Frequency comparison

sei#48,072

sentí#3,447

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sei" and "sentí" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sei" is a num and "sentí" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "sei" or "sentí"?

"sentí" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,447 in our Spanish list, against #48,072 for "sei". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sei vs sentí

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “sei”; for a verb, it's “sentí”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sei” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable