segavsserConfusable pair

Which to use

“sega” and “ser” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#31,553
“sega” frequency rank
#30
“ser” frequency rank
31583
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sega ser
Definition serra (instrumento usado para serrar, cortar) existir, aquilo que supõe-se existir

Where the eye mixes sega and ser

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
sega
3 ch
ser

Look-alike desk: sega vs ser

A purely visual mix-up. sega (/ˈsɛ.ɡa/) and ser (/ˈseɾ/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31583, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sega is recorded at frequency rank #31,553, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɛ.ɡa/. ser is at rank #30, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈseɾ/.

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 31583, this pair ranks #36,454 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sega vs ser

Shared letters: es. Private to "sega": ag. Private to "ser": r.

"sega" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "ser" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • segaesga · seag · segga · sgea · ssega

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "sega" for "ser" ever safe?
No. They are said differently (/ˈsɛ.ɡa/ versus /ˈseɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sega" or "ser"?
"ser" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30 in our Portuguese list, against #31,553 for "sega". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "sega" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ser" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #36,454 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sega" and "ser" 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 #36,454 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list