Which to use
“sam” is an adverb and “spi” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,285
- “sam” frequency rank
- #49,369
- “spi” frequency rank
- 53654
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sam | spi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Du tout (combiné avec la négation). | Spirituel (au sens religieux). |
Letter map: sam vs spi
Shared letters muted; letters that set sam and spi apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.
Grammar separator: sam vs spi
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: sam is anadverb and spianadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53654, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sam is recorded at frequency rank #4,285, classified as anadv. spi is at rank #49,369, tagged as anadj, pronounced \spi\.
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 53654, this pair ranks #139,283 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sam vs spi
Shared letters: s. Private to "sam": am. Private to "spi": ip.
"sam" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "spi" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sam" and "spi" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "sam" or "spi" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pair "sam" vs "spi" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "sam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #139,283 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sam" and "spi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "spi vs suu". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #139,283 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.