Which to use
“sci” is a noun and “sou” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,904
- “sci” frequency rank
- #106
- “sou” frequency rank
- 30010
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sci | sou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | esqui, placa geralmente de madeira para deslizar na água ou na neve | primeira pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo ser |
Where the eye mixes sci and sou
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sci with sou
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sci is /ˈʃi/ while sou is /ˈsow/, /ˈso/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30010, 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/. sou is at rank #106, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈsow/, /ˈso/.
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 30010, this pair ranks #38,463 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sci vs sou
Shared letters: s. Private to "sci": ci. Private to "sou": ou.
"sci" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "sou" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sci" for "sou" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "sci" or "sou" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sci" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #38,463 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sci" and "sou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sau vs sci". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #38,463 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.