sessentavssetentaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,696
“sessenta” frequency rank
#8,540
“setenta” frequency rank
16236
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sessenta setenta
Definition número equivalente a seis dezenas; cardinalidade de um conjunto que contenha seis dezenas de elementos distintos; representado pelo símbolo 60 (algarismos arábicos) ou LX (algarismos romanos) número equivalente a sete dezenas; cardinalidade de um conjunto que contenha sete dezenas de elementos distintos; representado pelo símbolo 70 (algarismos arábicos) ou LXX (algarismos romanos)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sessenta and setenta apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
sessenta
7 ch
setenta

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sessenta (/sɨ.ˈsẽ.tɐ/) and setenta (/sɨ.ˈtẽ.tɐ/) 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 16236, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sessenta is recorded at frequency rank #7,696, classified as anadj, pronounced /sɨ.ˈsẽ.tɐ/. setenta is at rank #8,540, tagged as anadj, pronounced /sɨ.ˈtẽ.tɐ/.

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 16236, this pair ranks #55,359 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sessenta vs setenta

Shared letters: aenst. Private to "sessenta": -. Private to "setenta": -.

"sessenta" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "setenta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sessentaesssenta · sesenta · sesesnta · sessenat · sessennta · sessentta · sessetna · sessneta
  • setentaestenta · seetnta · setenat · setennta · setentta · setetna · setneta · settenta

Frequency comparison

sessenta#7,696
setenta#8,540

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sessenta" and "setenta" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/sɨ.ˈsẽ.tɐ/ versus /sɨ.ˈtẽ.tɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sessenta" or "setenta"?
"sessenta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,696 in our Portuguese list, against #8,540 for "setenta". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sessenta vs setenta

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sessenta” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list