Which to use
“ser” is a noun and “só” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30
- “ser” frequency rank
- #50
- “só” frequency rank
- 80
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ser | só |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | existir, aquilo que supõe-se existir | solitário, sem companhia, sem círculo social |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ser and só apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
ser and só form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ser is recorded at frequency rank #30, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈseɾ/. só is at rank #50, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈsɔ/.
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 80, this pair ranks #75,573 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ser" and "só" be used interchangeably?
Remembering ser vs só
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “ser”; for an adjective, it's “só”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ser” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable