Which to use
“sic” is an adverb and “spi” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,132
- “sic” frequency rank
- #49,369
- “spi” frequency rank
- 60501
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sic | spi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tel que cela a été dit ou écrit, sans modification, aussi étrange ou incorrect que cela paraisse. Il s’utilise le plus souvent en italique et entre crochets pour confirmer l’exactitude de la citation d’un texte, même dans le cas d’une erreur manifeste, d’une faute de langue ou de propos choquants. | Spirituel (au sens religieux). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sic and spi apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sic is \sik\ while spi is \spi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60501, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sic is recorded at frequency rank #11,132, classified as anadv, pronounced \sik\. 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 60501, this pair ranks #97,266 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sic vs spi
Shared letters: is. Private to "sic": c. Private to "spi": p.
"sic" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "spi" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sic" and "spi" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sic" or "spi"?
Remembering sic vs spi
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “sic”; for an adjective, it's “spi”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sic” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable