Which to use
“lacks” and “lapis” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,444
- “lacks” frequency rank
- #38,012
- “lapis” frequency rank
- 46456
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lacks | lapis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of lack | Ellipsis of lapis lazuli. |
Where the eye mixes lacks and lapis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lacks with lapis
A purely visual mix-up. lacks (/læks/) and lapis (/ˈlæpɪs/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46456, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lacks is recorded at frequency rank #8,444, classified as anoun, pronounced /læks/. lapis is at rank #38,012, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlæpɪs/.
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 46456, this pair ranks #211,552 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lacks vs lapis
Shared letters: als. Private to "lacks": ck. Private to "lapis": ip.
"lacks" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "lapis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lacks" and "lapis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lacks" or "lapis"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "lacks" and "lapis" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lacks" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lapis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #211,552 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lacks" and "lapis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lapis vs Levis". 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 #211,552 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.