Which to use
“ski” and “spin” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,135
- “ski” frequency rank
- #19,560
- “spin” frequency rank
- 39695
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ski | spin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | esqui | aranha |
Where the eye mixes ski and spin
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between ski and spin
A purely visual mix-up. ski (/ski/, SAMPA: /ski/) and spin (/spɪn/ ouvir^(fonte ?)) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39695, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ski is recorded at frequency rank #20,135, classified as anoun, pronounced /ski/, SAMPA: /ski/. spin is at rank #19,560, tagged as anoun, pronounced /spɪn/ ouvir^(fonte ?).
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 39695, this pair ranks #26,501 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ski vs spin
Shared letters: is. Private to "ski": k. Private to "spin": np.
"ski" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "spin" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- spin ← psin · sipn · spinn · spni · sppin · sspin
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ski" and "spin" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ski" or "spin"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ski" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spin" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #26,501 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ski" and "spin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sau vs ski". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #26,501 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.