Which to use
“sec” is an adjective and “sega” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,268
- “sec” frequency rank
- #31,553
- “sega” frequency rank
- 50821
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sec | sega |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | seco | serra (instrumento usado para serrar, cortar) |
Where the eye mixes sec and sega
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sec vs sega
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sec is \sɛk\ while sega is /ˈsɛ.ɡa/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50821, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sec is recorded at frequency rank #19,268, classified as anadj, pronounced \sɛk\. sega is at rank #31,553, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɛ.ɡa/.
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 50821, this pair ranks #14,136 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sec vs sega
Shared letters: es. Private to "sec": c. Private to "sega": ag.
"sec" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "sega" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- sega ← esga · seag · segga · sgea · ssega
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sec" and "sega" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "sec" or "sega" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sec" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sega" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #14,136 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sec" and "sega" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sega vs senda". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #14,136 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.