Which to use
“su” is an adjective and “sus” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20
- “su” frequency rank
- #32
- “sus” frequency rank
- 52
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | su | sus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Adjetivo posesivo de la tercera persona; de él, de ella, de ellos, de ellas. | Se emplea para avivar, infundir ánimo e incitar a la acción rápida y con vigor. |
Where the eye mixes su and sus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses su with sus
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: su is [su] while sus is [sus]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “su” sits inside “sus”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
su is recorded at frequency rank #20, classified as anadj, pronounced [su]. sus is at rank #32, tagged as anintj, pronounced [sus].
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 52, this pair ranks #323,810 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of su vs sus
Shared letters: su. Private to "su": -. Private to "sus": -.
"su" · 2 letters · shape CV · "sus" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "su" and "sus" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "su" or "sus" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "su" and "sus" 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 "sus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #323,810 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "su" and "sus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "subís vs sus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #323,810 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.