Which to use
“sigo” is a verb and “sir” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,919
- “sigo” frequency rank
- #6,830
- “sir” frequency rank
- 8749
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sigo | sir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de seguir. | Señor, caballero. |
Where the eye mixes sigo and sir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sigo with sir
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sigo is [ˈsiɣ̞o] while sir is /sɜː(ɹ)/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8749, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sigo is recorded at frequency rank #1,919, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsiɣ̞o]. sir is at rank #6,830, tagged as anoun, pronounced /sɜː(ɹ)/.
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 8749, this pair ranks #304,056 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sigo vs sir
Shared letters: is. Private to "sigo": go. Private to "sir": r.
"sigo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "sir" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- sigo ← cigo · isgo · sgio · siggo · siog · ssigo
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sigo" for "sir" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sigo" or "sir" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sigo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #304,056 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sigo" and "sir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sila vs sir". 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 #304,056 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.