sellarvssentarWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#23,592
“sellar” frequency rank
#10,573
“sentar” frequency rank
34165
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sellar sentar
Definition 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. Hacer que alguien tome asiento, adquiera la posición en que el cuerpo descansa sobre los glúteos.

Where the eye mixes sellar and sentar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. sellar and sentar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

6 ch
sellar
6 ch
sentar

Look-alike desk: sellar vs sentar

A purely visual mix-up. sellar ([seˈʝaɾ]) and sentar ([sẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34165, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sellar is recorded at frequency rank #23,592, classified as averb, pronounced [seˈʝaɾ]. sentar is at rank #10,573, tagged as averb, pronounced [sẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ].

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 34165, this pair ranks #192,896 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sellar vs sentar

Shared letters: aers. Private to "sellar": l. Private to "sentar": nt.

"sellar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "sentar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sellar ← cellar · esllar · selalr · selar · sellarr · sellra · slelar · ssellar
  • sentar ← esntar · senatr · senntar · sentarr · senttar · setnar · snetar · ssentar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "sellar" for "sentar" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([seˈʝaɾ] versus [sẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sellar" or "sentar"?
"sentar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,573 in our Spanish list, against #23,592 for "sellar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "sellar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "sentar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #192,896 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sellar" and "sentar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sellar vs silbar". 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 #192,896 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