Which to use
“soy” is a verb and “spi” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,027
- “soy” frequency rank
- #49,369
- “spi” frequency rank
- 89396
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | soy | spi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de ser (« être »). | Spirituel (au sens religieux). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set soy and spi apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter 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: soy is \ˈsoi̯\ 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 89396, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
soy is recorded at frequency rank #40,027, classified as averb, pronounced \ˈsoi̯\. 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 89396, this pair ranks #5,840 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of soy vs spi
Shared letters: s. Private to "soy": oy. Private to "spi": ip.
"soy" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "spi" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "soy" and "spi" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "soy" or "spi"?
Remembering soy vs spi
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “soy”; for an adjective, it's “spi”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “soy” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable