Which to use
“lapis” and “lips” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,012
- “lapis” frequency rank
- #3,958
- “lips” frequency rank
- 41970
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lapis | lips |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ellipsis of lapis lazuli. | plural of lip |
Where the eye mixes lapis and lips
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lapis vs lips
A purely visual mix-up. lapis (/ˈlæpɪs/) and lips (/lɪps/) 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 41970, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lapis is recorded at frequency rank #38,012, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlæpɪs/. lips is at rank #3,958, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɪps/.
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 41970, this pair ranks #253,498 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lapis vs lips
Shared letters: ilps. Private to "lapis": a. Private to "lips": -.
"lapis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "lips" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lapis" and "lips" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lapis" or "lips"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lapis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lips" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #253,498 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lapis" and "lips" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lapis vs Levis". 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 #253,498 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.