sexovssextoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sexo is a noun, sexto is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sexo” is a noun and “sexto” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#678
“sexo” frequency rank
#7,338
“sexto” frequency rank
8016
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sexo sexto
Definition definição biológica de gênero de um animal ou vegetal; pode ser feminino, masculino ou hermafrodita; quando não se tem definição considera-se um ser vivo como assexuado refere-se àquele que ocupa a posição sexta em uma série; o que vem depois do quinto

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sexo and sexto apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
sexo
5 ch
sexto

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

sexo and sexto 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 8016, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sexo is recorded at frequency rank #678, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɛ.ksu/. sexto is at rank #7,338, tagged as anadj.

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 8016, this pair ranks #65,923 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

sexo#678
sexto#7,338

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sexo" and "sexto" be used interchangeably?
No, "sexo" and "sexto" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering sexo vs sexto

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “sexo”; for an adjective, it's “sexto”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sexo” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list