Which to use
“ser” is a noun and “servo” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30
- “ser” frequency rank
- #10,270
- “servo” frequency rank
- 10300
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ser | servo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | existir, aquilo que supõe-se existir | tomar conta, guardar. |
Where the eye mixes ser and servo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ser vs servo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ser is /ˈseɾ/ while servo is /ˈser.woː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ser” sits inside “servo”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10300, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ser is recorded at frequency rank #30, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈseɾ/. servo is at rank #10,270, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈser.woː/.
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 10300, this pair ranks #62,850 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ser vs servo
Shared letters: ers. Private to "ser": -. Private to "servo": ov.
"ser" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "servo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- servo ← esrvo · serov · serrvo · servvo · sevro · srevo · sservo
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ser" for "servo" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ser" or "servo"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ser" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "servo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #62,850 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ser" and "servo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seno vs servo". 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 #62,850 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.