# lack vs lai

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### lack
*noun · IPA /læk/ · frequency rank #1,274*
A deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want, dearth.

### lai
*noun · IPA /laɪ/ · frequency rank #19,883*
A mostly North European medieval form of lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance, with stanzas that do not repeat.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-02.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lack-vs-lai