sexvsskyWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,835
“sex” frequency rank
#7,084
“sky” frequency rank
14919
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sex sky
Definition sexo, gênero céu

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sex and sky apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
sex
3 ch
sky

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sex (/sɛks/) and sky (/skaɪ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14919, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sex is recorded at frequency rank #7,835, classified as anoun, pronounced /sɛks/. sky is at rank #7,084, tagged as anoun, pronounced /skaɪ/.

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 14919, this pair ranks #57,052 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sex vs sky

Shared letters: s. Private to "sex": ex. Private to "sky": ky.

"sex" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "sky" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequency comparison

sex#7,835
sky#7,084

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sex" and "sky" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/sɛks/ versus /skaɪ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sex" or "sky"?
"sky" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,084 in our Portuguese list, against #7,835 for "sex". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sex vs sky

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 “sex” 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