Which to use
“lah” and “lang” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,894
- “lah” frequency rank
- #8,952
- “lang” frequency rank
- 53846
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lah | lang |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative spelling of la. | Abbreviation of language |
Where the eye mixes lah and lang
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lah with lang
A purely visual mix-up. lah (/lɑː/) and lang (/ˈlæŋ/) 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 53846, 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/. lang is at rank #8,952, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlæŋ/.
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 53846, this pair ranks #145,718 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lah vs lang
Shared letters: al. Private to "lah": h. Private to "lang": gn.
"lah" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lang" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lang ← alng · lagn · langg · lanng · llang · lnag
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lah" for "lang" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lah" vs "lang" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lah" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lang" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #145,718 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lah" and "lang" 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 #145,718 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.