Which to use
“sic” is an adverb and “sus” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,861
- “sic” frequency rank
- #32
- “sus” frequency rank
- 11893
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sic | sus |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Se emplea para avivar, infundir ánimo e incitar a la acción rápida y con vigor. |
Where the eye mixes sic and sus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sic vs sus
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sic is [ˈsik] while sus is [sus]. 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 intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11893, 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]. 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 11893, this pair ranks #293,485 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sic vs sus
Shared letters: s. Private to "sic": ci. Private to "sus": u.
"sic" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "sus" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sic" and "sus" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sic" or "sus" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sic" 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 #293,485 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sic" and "sus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sic vs sila". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #293,485 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.