Which to use
“século” and “selo” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,102
- “século” frequency rank
- #5,354
- “selo” frequency rank
- 6456
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | século | selo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | período de cem anos que se conta a partir de um ponto cronologicamente determinado | pequeno objeto de metal (placa, coluna, anel) usados como assinatura do proprietário para selar e autenticar documentos e cartas |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set século and selo apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. século (/ˈsɛ.ku.lu/) and selo (/ˈse.lʊ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6456, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
século is recorded at frequency rank #1,102, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɛ.ku.lu/. selo is at rank #5,354, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈse.lʊ/.
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 6456, this pair ranks #67,975 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of século vs selo
Shared letters: los. Private to "século": cué. Private to "selo": e.
"século" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "selo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- selo ← eslo · sello · seol · sleo · sselo
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "século" and "selo" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "século" or "selo"?
Remembering século vs selo
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “século” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable