vssusWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: is a adverb, sus is an intj, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sí” is an adverb and “sus” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#146
“sí” frequency rank
#32
“sus” frequency rank
178
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sus
Definition Palabra usada para expresar afirmación. Se emplea para avivar, infundir ánimo e incitar a la acción rápida y con vigor.

Where the eye mixes sí and sus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

2 ch
sí
3 ch
sus

Look-alike desk: sí vs sus

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: is [ˈsi] while sus is [sus]. 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 (adverb vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 178, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

is recorded at frequency rank #146, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈsi]. sus is at rank #32, tagged as anintj, pronounced [sus].

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 178, this pair ranks #323,700 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sí vs sus

Shared letters: s. Private to "sí": í. Private to "sus": u.

"sí" · 2 letters · shape CV  ·  "sus" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sí" and "sus" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sí" is an adverb and "sus" an intj, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sí" or "sus"?
"sus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32 in our Spanish list, against #146 for "sí". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "sí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "sus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #323,700 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sí" and "sus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "subís vs sus". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #323,700 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