Which to use
“sein” is a verb and “sic” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,601
- “sein” frequency rank
- #11,861
- “sic” frequency rank
- 57462
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sein | sic |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ser, estar. | Úsase en textos escritos para señalar que una transcripción o cita es textual, y que por lo tanto las imprecisiones o errores se deben al autor y no a quien transcribe |
Where the eye mixes sein and sic
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between sein and sic
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sein is [ˈzaɪ̯n] while sic is [ˈsik]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57462, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sein is recorded at frequency rank #45,601, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzaɪ̯n]. sic is at rank #11,861, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈsik].
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 57462, this pair ranks #70,422 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sein vs sic
Shared letters: is. Private to "sein": en. Private to "sic": c.
"sein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "sic" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- sein ← esin · seinn · seni · ssein
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sein" for "sic" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sein" or "sic" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sic" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #70,422 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sein" and "sic" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sei vs sein". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #70,422 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.