scivssmeConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#29,904
“sci” frequency rank
#40,334
“sme” frequency rank
70238
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sci sme
Definition esqui, placa geralmente de madeira para deslizar na água ou na neve primeira pessoa do plural do futuro do indicativo do verbo byť

Letter map: sci vs sme

Shared letters muted; letters that set sci and sme apart highlighted. Shared run: 1. sci and sme follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

3 ch
sci
3 ch
sme

Role in the sentence - sci and sme

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: sci is anoun and smeaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70238, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sci is recorded at frequency rank #29,904, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈʃi/. sme is at rank #40,334, tagged as averb.

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 70238, this pair ranks #3,695 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sci vs sme

Shared letters: s. Private to "sci": ci. Private to "sme": em.

"sci" · 3 letters · shape CCV  ·  "sme" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "sci" for "sme" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sci" is a noun and "sme" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "sci" vs "sme" - which ranks higher?
"sci" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,904 in our Portuguese list, against #40,334 for "sme". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "sci" and "sme".

  • Full dictionary entry for "sci" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "sme" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #3,695 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sci" and "sme" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sau vs sme". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #3,695 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list