sequência vs sequencial, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,290
“sequência” frequency rank: #28,778
“sequencial” frequency rank: 31068
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	sequência	sequencial
Definition	ação de seguir	algo em que há sequência

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sequência and sequencial apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch

sequência

10 ch

sequencial

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sequência is /sɨ.ˈkwẽ.sjɐ/ while sequencial is /sɨ.kwẽ.ˈsjaɫ/. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31068, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sequência is recorded at frequency rank #2,290, classified as anoun, pronounced /sɨ.ˈkwẽ.sjɐ/. sequencial is at rank #28,778, tagged as anadj, pronounced /sɨ.kwẽ.ˈsjaɫ/.

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 31068, this pair ranks #37,144 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sequência vs sequencial

Shared letters: aceinqsu. Private to "sequência": ê. Private to "sequencial": l.

"sequência" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVV · "sequencial" · 10 letters · shape CVCVVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

sequencial ← esquencial · seqeuncial · seqquencial · sequecnial · sequencail · sequenccial · sequenciall · sequencila

Frequency comparison

sequência#2,290

sequencial#28,778

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sequência" and "sequencial" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sequência" is a noun and "sequencial" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "sequência" or "sequencial"?

"sequência" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,290 in our Portuguese list, against #28,778 for "sequencial". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sequência vs sequencial

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “sequência”; for an adjective, it's “sequencial”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sequência” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable