Which to use
“shi” is an adverb and “si” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,143
- “shi” frequency rank
- #482
- “si” frequency rank
- 25625
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shi | si |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | exatamente; precisamente | refere-se à terceira pessoa, indica reflexividade e é usado após preposição (a, de, em, contra, sobre, por, etc., exceto com) |
Where the eye mixes shi and si
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses shi with si
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: shi is /ˈʃiː/ while si is /ˈsi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25625, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
shi is recorded at frequency rank #25,143, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈʃiː/. si is at rank #482, tagged as apron, pronounced /ˈsi/.
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 25625, this pair ranks #43,662 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of shi vs si
Shared letters: is. Private to "shi": h. Private to "si": -.
"shi" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "si" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "shi" for "si" ever safe?
Frequency check: "shi" vs "si" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "shi" and "si" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "shi" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "si" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #43,662 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "shi" and "si" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sau vs shi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #43,662 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.