Which to use
“lead” and “ley” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #636
- “lead” frequency rank
- #29,720
- “ley” frequency rank
- 30356
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lead | ley |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A heavy, pliable, inelastic metal element, having a bright, bluish color, but easily tarnished; both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic number 82, symbol Pb (from Latin plumbum). | Arable land used temporarily for hay or grazing. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lead and ley apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
lead and ley form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30356, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lead is recorded at frequency rank #636, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɛd/. ley is at rank #29,720, tagged as anoun, pronounced /leɪ/.
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 30356, this pair ranks #355,213 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lead" and "ley" be used interchangeably?
Remembering lead vs ley
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lead” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable