sérumvsserviConfusable pair

Quick tell: sérum is a noun, servi is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sérum” is a noun and “servi” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,264
“sérum” frequency rank
#2,494
“servi” frequency rank
17758
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sérum servi
Definition Liquide qui surnage lorsque le sang se coagule. Participe passé masculin singulier de servir.

Where the eye mixes sérum and servi

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

5 ch
sérum
5 ch
servi

Look-alike desk: sérum vs servi

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sérum is \se.ʁɔm\ while servi is \sɛʁ.vi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sérum is recorded at frequency rank #15,264, classified as anoun, pronounced \se.ʁɔm\. servi is at rank #2,494, tagged as averb, pronounced \sɛʁ.vi\.

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 17758, this pair ranks #381,617 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sérum vs servi

Shared letters: rs. Private to "sérum": mué. Private to "servi": eiv.

"sérum" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "servi" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • serviesrvi · seriv · serrvi · servvi · sevri · srevi · sservi

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "sérum" and "servi" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sérum" is a noun and "servi" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sérum" or "servi"?
"servi" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,494 in our French list, against #15,264 for "sérum". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "sérum" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "servi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #381,617 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sérum" and "servi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sérum vs seum". 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 #381,617 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list