sitvsstoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sit is a verb, sto is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sit” is a verb and “sto” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#39,464
“sit” frequency rank
#36,304
“sto” frequency rank
75768
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sit sto
Definition Estar sentado. Ciento.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sit and sto apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
sit
3 ch
sto

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sit is /sɪt/ while sto is [ˈsto]. 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 (verb vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sit is recorded at frequency rank #39,464, classified as averb, pronounced /sɪt/. sto is at rank #36,304, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈsto].

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 75768, this pair ranks #18,948 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sit vs sto

Shared letters: st. Private to "sit": i. Private to "sto": o.

"sit" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "sto" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequency comparison

sit#39,464
sto#36,304

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sit" and "sto" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sit" is a verb and "sto" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sit" or "sto"?
"sto" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,304 in our Spanish list, against #39,464 for "sit". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sit vs sto

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “sit”; for a num, it's “sto”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sit” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list