Which to use
“lah” and “lamp” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,894
- “lah” frequency rank
- #6,586
- “lamp” frequency rank
- 51480
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lah | lamp |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative spelling of la. | A device that generates heat, light or other radiation. Especially an electric light bulb. |
Where the eye mixes lah and lamp
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lah with lamp
A purely visual mix-up. lah (/lɑː/) and lamp (/ˈlæ̞mp/) 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 51480, 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/. lamp is at rank #6,586, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlæ̞mp/.
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 51480, this pair ranks #165,100 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lah vs lamp
Shared letters: al. Private to "lah": h. Private to "lamp": mp.
"lah" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lamp" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lamp ← almp · lammp · lampp · lapm · llamp · lmap
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lah" for "lamp" ever safe?
Which is more common, "lah" or "lamp"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lah" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lamp" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #165,100 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lah" and "lamp" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lah vs LSC". 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 #165,100 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.