sexvssteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sex is a noun, ste is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sex” is a noun and “ste” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,835
“sex” frequency rank
#36,242
“ste” frequency rank
44077
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sex ste
Definition sexo, gênero segunda pessoa do plural do futuro do indicativo do verbo byť

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sex and ste apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
sex
3 ch
ste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: sex is anoun and steaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44077, 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/. ste is at rank #36,242, tagged as averb.

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 44077, this pair ranks #21,464 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sex vs ste

Shared letters: es. Private to "sex": x. Private to "ste": t.

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

Frequency comparison

sex#7,835
ste#36,242

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sex" and "ste" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sex" is a noun and "ste" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sex" or "ste"?
"sex" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,835 in our Portuguese list, against #36,242 for "ste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sex vs ste

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “sex”; for a verb, it's “ste”.
  • 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