Which to use
“second” is an adjective and “selon” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #887
- “second” frequency rank
- #225
- “selon” frequency rank
- 1112
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | second | selon |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Élément ordinal, correspondant au cardinal deux ; qui vient immédiatement après le premier. | D’après ; eu égard à ; conformément à ; d’une manière correspondant à ; en proportion ; en fonction de. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set second and selon apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
second and selon form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1112, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
second is recorded at frequency rank #887, classified as anadj, pronounced \sə.ɡɔ̃\. selon is at rank #225, tagged as aprep, pronounced \sə.lɔ̃\.
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 1112, this pair ranks #438,601 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "second" and "selon" be used interchangeably?
Remembering second vs selon
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “second”; for a preposition, it's “selon”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “second” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable