scivssmeWhat's the difference?

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

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sci and sme apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
sci
3 ch
sme

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

sci#29,904
sme#40,334

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sci" and "sme" be used interchangeably?
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.
Which is more common, "sci" or "sme"?
"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.

Remembering sci vs sme

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “sci”; for a verb, it's “sme”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sci” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list