selectavssetentaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: selecta is a adjective, setenta is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“selecta” is an adjective and “setenta” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,397
“selecta” frequency rank
#7,231
“setenta” frequency rank
34628
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature selecta setenta
Definition Forma del femenino de selecto. Siete veces diez.

Where the eye mixes selecta and setenta

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
selecta
7 ch
setenta

Look-alike desk: selecta vs setenta

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: selecta is [seˈlekt̪a] while setenta is [seˈt̪ẽn̪t̪a]. 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 (adjective vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34628, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

selecta is recorded at frequency rank #27,397, classified as anadj, pronounced [seˈlekt̪a]. setenta is at rank #7,231, tagged as anum, pronounced [seˈt̪ẽn̪t̪a].

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 34628, this pair ranks #190,428 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of selecta vs setenta

Shared letters: aest. Private to "selecta": cl. Private to "setenta": n.

"selecta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "setenta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • selectacelecta · eslecta · seelcta · selceta · selecat · seleccta · selectta · seletca
  • setentacetenta · estenta · seetnta · setenat · setennta · setentta · setetna · setneta

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "selecta" for "setenta" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "selecta" is an adjective and "setenta" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "selecta" or "setenta" show up more?
"setenta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,231 in our Spanish list, against #27,397 for "selecta". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "selecta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "setenta" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #190,428 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "selecta" and "setenta" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "select vs selecta". 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 #190,428 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list