Which to use
“servir” and “surtir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,475
- “servir” frequency rank
- #47,436
- “surtir” frequency rank
- 49911
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | servir | surtir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ser útil para algo. | Suministrar |
Where the eye mixes servir and surtir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. servir and surtir follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: servir vs surtir
A purely visual mix-up. servir ([seɾˈβ̞iɾ]) and surtir ([suɾˈt̪iɾ]) 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 49911, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
servir is recorded at frequency rank #2,475, classified as averb, pronounced [seɾˈβ̞iɾ]. surtir is at rank #47,436, tagged as averb, pronounced [suɾˈt̪iɾ].
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 49911, this pair ranks #106,157 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of servir vs surtir
Shared letters: irs. Private to "servir": ev. Private to "surtir": tu.
"servir" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "surtir" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "servir" and "surtir" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "servir" vs "surtir" - which ranks higher?
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 "servir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "surtir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #106,157 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "servir" and "surtir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "surtidor vs surtir". 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 #106,157 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.