Which to use
“lakh” is a num and “lathe” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,258
- “lakh” frequency rank
- #32,475
- “lathe” frequency rank
- 53733
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lakh | lathe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | One hundred thousand (10⁵): 100,000, that is, with Indian digit grouping, 1,00,000. | To invite; bid; ask. |
Where the eye mixes lakh and lathe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. lakh runs 4 letters (CVCC) against lathe's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between lakh and lathe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lakh is /lɑkʰ/ while lathe is /leɪð/. 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 (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53733, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lakh is recorded at frequency rank #21,258, classified as anum, pronounced /lɑkʰ/. lathe is at rank #32,475, tagged as averb, pronounced /leɪð/.
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 53733, this pair ranks #146,635 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lakh vs lathe
Shared letters: ahl. Private to "lakh": k. Private to "lathe": et.
"lakh" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lathe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lakh" for "lathe" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lakh" vs "lathe" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lakh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lathe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #146,635 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lakh" and "lathe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "latches vs lathe". 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 #146,635 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.