Which to use
“cils” is a noun and “seals” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,107
- “cils” frequency rank
- #48,199
- “seals” frequency rank
- 63306
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cils | seals |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de cil. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe to seal. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cils and seals apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: cils and seals carry the same recorded pronunciation, \sil\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63306, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cils is recorded at frequency rank #15,107, classified as anoun, pronounced \sil\. seals is at rank #48,199, tagged as averb, pronounced \siːl\.
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 63306, this pair ranks #82,636 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of cils vs seals
Shared letters: ls. Private to "cils": ci. Private to "seals": ae.
"cils" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "seals" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cils" and "seals" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cils" or "seals"?
Remembering cils vs seals
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “cils”; for a verb, it's “seals”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cils” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable