Which to use
“sic” is an adverb and “sta” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,861
- “sic” frequency rank
- #14,015
- “sta” frequency rank
- 25876
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sic | sta |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Úsase en textos escritos para señalar que una transcripción o cita es textual, y que por lo tanto las imprecisiones o errores se deben al autor y no a quien transcribe | Forma del femenino de sto: «esta». |
Where the eye mixes sic and sta
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between sic and sta
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sic is [ˈsik] while sta is /ˈsta/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25876, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sic is recorded at frequency rank #11,861, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈsik]. sta is at rank #14,015, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈsta/.
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 25876, this pair ranks #234,391 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sic vs sta
Shared letters: s. Private to "sic": ci. Private to "sta": at.
"sic" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "sta" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sic" and "sta" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sic" or "sta" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "sic" and "sta" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sic" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sta" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #234,391 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sic" and "sta" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sta vs stem". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #234,391 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.