Which to use
“sirve” is a verb and “survey” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,361
- “sirve” frequency rank
- #41,088
- “survey” frequency rank
- 42449
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sirve | survey |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de servir. | Un cuestionario o instrumento similar usado para examinar las opiniones de un grupo de gente, encuesta. |
Where the eye mixes sirve and survey
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. sirve runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against survey's 6 (CVCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses sirve with survey
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sirve is [ˈsiɾβ̞e] while survey is /ˈsɜː.veɪ/. 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 42449, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sirve is recorded at frequency rank #1,361, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsiɾβ̞e]. survey is at rank #41,088, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɜː.veɪ/.
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 42449, this pair ranks #148,153 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sirve vs survey
Shared letters: ersv. Private to "sirve": i. Private to "survey": uy.
"sirve" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "survey" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sirve" and "survey" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sirve" or "survey"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sirve" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "survey" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #148,153 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sirve" and "survey" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sure vs survey". 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 #148,153 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.