Which to use
“sistema” and “sister” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #220
- “sistema” frequency rank
- #36,296
- “sister” frequency rank
- 36516
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sistema | sister |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Conjunto de reglas, principios, ideas o cosas, que están unidas por un criterio común y tienen una finalidad determinada. | Hermana. |
Where the eye mixes sistema and sister
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. sistema runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against sister's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: sistema vs sister
A purely visual mix-up. sistema ([sisˈt̪ema]) and sister (/ˈsɪs.tə/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36516, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sistema is recorded at frequency rank #220, classified as anoun, pronounced [sisˈt̪ema]. sister is at rank #36,296, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɪs.tə/.
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 36516, this pair ranks #180,229 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sistema vs sister
Shared letters: eist. Private to "sistema": am. Private to "sister": r.
"sistema" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "sister" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sistema" and "sister" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sistema" or "sister" 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 "sistema" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sister" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #180,229 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sistema" and "sister" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "singer vs sister". 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 #180,229 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.