Which to use
“si” is a pronoun and “sim” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #482
- “si” frequency rank
- #147
- “sim” frequency rank
- 629
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | si | sim |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | refere-se à terceira pessoa, indica reflexividade e é usado após preposição (a, de, em, contra, sobre, por, etc., exceto com) | exprime afirmação, acordo, aprovação, permissão ou consentimento |
Where the eye mixes si and sim
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: si vs sim
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: si is /ˈsi/ while sim is /ˈsĩ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “si” sits inside “sim”, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 629, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
si is recorded at frequency rank #482, classified as apron, pronounced /ˈsi/. sim is at rank #147, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈsĩ/.
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 629, this pair ranks #75,041 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of si vs sim
Shared letters: is. Private to "si": -. Private to "sim": m.
"si" · 2 letters · shape CV · "sim" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "si" and "sim" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "si" vs "sim" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "si" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sim" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,041 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "si" and "sim" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sau vs si". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #75,041 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.