Which to use
“sei” is a num and “spa” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,072
- “sei” frequency rank
- #15,233
- “spa” frequency rank
- 63305
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sei | spa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Seis. | Grafía alternativa de espá. |
Where the eye mixes sei and spa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. sei (CVV) and spa (CCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: sei vs spa
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sei is /s̺ej/ while spa is [esˈpa]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63305, 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/. spa is at rank #15,233, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esˈpa].
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 63305, this pair ranks #49,167 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sei vs spa
Shared letters: s. Private to "sei": ei. Private to "spa": ap.
"sei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "spa" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sei" for "spa" ever safe?
Frequency check: "sei" vs "spa" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "sei" and "spa" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #49,167 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sei" and "spa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sei vs stem". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #49,167 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.