Which to use
“leads” and “load” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,259
- “leads” frequency rank
- #2,587
- “load” frequency rank
- 4846
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leads | load |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of lead | A burden; a weight to be carried. |
Where the eye mixes leads and load
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses leads with load
A purely visual mix-up. leads (/lɛdz/) and load (/loʊd/) 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 4846, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
leads is recorded at frequency rank #2,259, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɛdz/. load is at rank #2,587, tagged as anoun, pronounced /loʊd/.
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 4846, this pair ranks #517,471 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of leads vs load
Shared letters: adl. Private to "leads": es. Private to "load": o.
"leads" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "load" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "leads" and "load" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "leads" vs "load" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "leads" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "load" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #517,471 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leads" and "load" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "load vs lope". 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 #517,471 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.