saiuvssinWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: saiu is a verb, sin is a pronoun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“saiu” is a verb and “sin” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,035
“saiu” frequency rank
#8,687
“sin” frequency rank
9722
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature saiu sin
Definition Terceira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo sair. aquilo, aquele

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set saiu and sin apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
saiu
3 ch
sin

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: saiu is averb and sinapronoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9722, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

saiu is recorded at frequency rank #1,035, classified as averb. sin is at rank #8,687, tagged as apron.

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 9722, this pair ranks #63,614 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of saiu vs sin

Shared letters: is. Private to "saiu": au. Private to "sin": n.

"saiu" · 4 letters · shape CVVV  ·  "sin" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • saiuasiu · saui · siau · ssaiu

Frequency comparison

saiu#1,035
sin#8,687

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "saiu" and "sin" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "saiu" is a verb and "sin" a pronoun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "saiu" or "sin"?
"saiu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,035 in our Portuguese list, against #8,687 for "sin". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering saiu vs sin

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “saiu”; for a pronoun, it's “sin”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “saiu” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list