sellavssellarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“sella” and “sellar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#34,339
“sella” frequency rank
#23,592
“sellar” frequency rank
57931
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sella sellar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de sellar. Cocinar un alimento, generalmente una pieza de carne, a fuego muy fuerte durante pocos minutos, de modo que su parte exterior se cueza rápidamente, con el fin de que no pierda sus líquidos, aun cuando su interior quede crudo y deba completarse la cocción, habitualmente en el horno.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sella and sellar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
sella
6 ch
sellar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sella ([ˈseʝa]) and sellar ([seˈʝaɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “sella” sits inside “sellar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57931, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sella is recorded at frequency rank #34,339, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈseʝa]. sellar is at rank #23,592, tagged as averb, pronounced [seˈʝaɾ].

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 57931, this pair ranks #68,466 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sella vs sellar

Shared letters: aels. Private to "sella": -. Private to "sellar": r.

"sella" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "sellar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sellaeslla · selal · slela · ssella
  • sellarcellar · esllar · selalr · selar · sellarr · sellra · slelar · ssellar

Frequency comparison

sella#34,339
sellar#23,592

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sella" and "sellar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈseʝa] versus [seˈʝaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sella" or "sellar"?
"sellar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,592 in our Spanish list, against #34,339 for "sella". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sella vs sellar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sella” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list