Which to use
“lah” is a noun and “lame” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,894
- “lah” frequency rank
- #7,707
- “lame” frequency rank
- 52601
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lah | lame |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative spelling of la. | Unable to walk properly because of a problem with one's feet or legs. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lah and lame apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lah is /lɑː/ while lame is /leɪm/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52601, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lah is recorded at frequency rank #44,894, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɑː/. lame is at rank #7,707, tagged as anadj, pronounced /leɪm/.
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 52601, this pair ranks #155,711 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lah vs lame
Shared letters: al. Private to "lah": h. Private to "lame": em.
"lah" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lame" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- lame ← alme · laem · lamme · llame · lmae
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lah" and "lame" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lah" or "lame"?
Remembering lah vs lame
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lah”; for an adjective, it's “lame”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lah” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable