Which to use
“sine” is a preposition and “sino” is a conjunction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,994
- “sine” frequency rank
- #210
- “sino” frequency rank
- 40204
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sine | sino |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sin. | Si aparece en preguntas o precedido de negación expletiva, indica que una única persona cumple con lo expresado. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sine and sino apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sine is [ˈsɪ.nɛ] while sino is [ˈsino]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “sine” becomes o in “sino”, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs conjunction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40204, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sine is recorded at frequency rank #39,994, classified as aprep, pronounced [ˈsɪ.nɛ]. sino is at rank #210, tagged as aconj, pronounced [ˈsino].
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 40204, this pair ranks #160,343 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sine vs sino
Shared letters: ins. Private to "sine": e. Private to "sino": o.
"sine" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "sino" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sine" and "sino" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sine" or "sino"?
Remembering sine vs sino
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “sine”; for a conjunction, it's “sino”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sine” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable