sigmavssigueWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#36,291
“sigma” frequency rank
#346
“sigue” frequency rank
36637
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sigma sigue
Definition Parte del intestino grueso que, en el hombre, continúa después del colon descendente, a la altura de la pelvis y es seguido por el recto. En esta parte los gases se acumulan para ser luego expulsados sin interferir con las heces. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de seguir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sigma and sigue apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
sigma
5 ch
sigue

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sigma is [ˈsiɣ̞ma] while sigue is [ˈsiɣ̞e]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36637, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sigma is recorded at frequency rank #36,291, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈsiɣ̞ma]. sigue is at rank #346, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsiɣ̞e].

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 36637, this pair ranks #179,600 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sigma vs sigue

Shared letters: gis. Private to "sigma": am. Private to "sigue": eu.

"sigma" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "sigue" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sigmacigma · isgma · sgima · sigam · siggma · sigmma · simga · ssigma
  • siguecigue · isgue · sgiue · sigeu · siggue · siuge · ssigue

Frequency comparison

sigma#36,291
sigue#346

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sigma" and "sigue" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sigma" is a noun and "sigue" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sigma" or "sigue"?
"sigue" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #346 in our Spanish list, against #36,291 for "sigma". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sigma vs sigue

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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