servicevsservirWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: service is a noun, servir is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“service” is a noun and “servir” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,478
“service” frequency rank
#2,475
“servir” frequency rank
14953
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature service servir
Definition Servicio. Ser útil para algo.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
service
6 ch
servir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: service is /ˈsɜː.vɪs/ while servir is [seɾˈβ̞iɾ]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14953, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

service is recorded at frequency rank #12,478, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɜː.vɪs/. servir is at rank #2,475, tagged as averb, pronounced [seɾˈβ̞iɾ].

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 14953, this pair ranks #282,073 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of service vs servir

Shared letters: eirsv. Private to "service": c. Private to "servir": -.

"service" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "servir" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • servicecervice · esrvice · serbice · serivce · serrvice · servcie · servicce · serviec
  • servircervir · esrvir · serbir · serivr · serrvir · servirr · servri · servvir

Frequency comparison

service#12,478
servir#2,475

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "service" and "servir" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "service" is a noun and "servir" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "service" or "servir"?
"servir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,475 in our Spanish list, against #12,478 for "service". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering service vs servir

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “service”; for a verb, it's “servir”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “service” 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