Which to use
“su” and “sure” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20
- “su” frequency rank
- #42,717
- “sure” frequency rank
- 42737
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | su | sure |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Adjetivo posesivo de la tercera persona; de él, de ella, de ellos, de ellas. | Seguro, convencido. |
Where the eye mixes su and sure
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between su and sure
A purely visual mix-up. su ([su]) and sure (/ʃʊə/ (fusión pour–poor)) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “su” sits inside “sure”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
su is recorded at frequency rank #20, classified as anadj, pronounced [su]. sure is at rank #42,717, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʃʊə/ (fusión pour–poor).
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 42737, this pair ranks #146,569 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of su vs sure
Shared letters: su. Private to "su": -. Private to "sure": er.
"su" · 2 letters · shape CV · "sure" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- sure ← srue · ssure · surre
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "su" and "sure" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "su" or "sure" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "su" and "sure" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "su" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sure" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #146,569 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "su" and "sure" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sari vs sure". 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 #146,569 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.