Which to use
“lacy” is an adjective and “lance” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,558
- “lacy” frequency rank
- #7,807
- “lance” frequency rank
- 29365
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lacy | lance |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Made of lace or decorated with it. | A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lacy and lance apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
lacy and lance form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29365, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lacy is recorded at frequency rank #21,558, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈleɪ.si/. lance is at rank #7,807, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɑːns/.
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 29365, this pair ranks #363,600 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lacy" and "lance" be used interchangeably?
Remembering lacy vs lance
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “lacy”; for a noun, it's “lance”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lacy” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable