secvssuuWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sec is a adjective, suu is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sec” is an adjective and “suu” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,268
“sec” frequency rank
#47,111
“suu” frequency rank
66379
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sec suu
Definition seco boca, cavidade oral

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
sec
3 ch
suu

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sec is \sɛk\ while suu is /ˈsuː/. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66379, 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\. suu is at rank #47,111, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈsuː/.

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 66379, this pair ranks #5,014 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sec vs suu

Shared letters: s. Private to "sec": ce. Private to "suu": u.

"sec" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "suu" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

sec#19,268
suu#47,111

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sec" and "suu" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sec" is an adjective and "suu" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sec" or "suu"?
"sec" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,268 in our Portuguese list, against #47,111 for "suu". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sec vs suu

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “sec”; for a noun, it's “suu”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sec” 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