Which to use
“sério” is an adjective and “serviço” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #544
- “sério” frequency rank
- #528
- “serviço” frequency rank
- 1072
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sério | serviço |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que demonstra profundo pensar | o ato de servir |
Where the eye mixes sério and serviço
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sério with serviço
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sério is /ˈsɛ.ɾju/ while serviço is /sɨɾ.ˈvi.su/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1072, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sério is recorded at frequency rank #544, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈsɛ.ɾju/. serviço is at rank #528, tagged as anoun, pronounced /sɨɾ.ˈvi.su/.
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 1072, this pair ranks #74,556 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sério vs serviço
Shared letters: iors. Private to "sério": é. Private to "serviço": evç.
"sério" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "serviço" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sério" and "serviço" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "sério" vs "serviço" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sério" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "serviço" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,556 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sério" and "serviço" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seno vs sério". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #74,556 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.