Which to use
“lemma” is a noun and “lemme” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,896
- “lemma” frequency rank
- #22,723
- “lemme” frequency rank
- 62619
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lemma | lemme |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A proposition proved or accepted for immediate use in the proof of some other proposition. | Let me. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lemma and lemme apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lemma is /ˈlɛmə/ while lemme is /ˈlɛmi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “lemma” becomes e in “lemme”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs contraction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62619, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lemma is recorded at frequency rank #39,896, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɛmə/. lemme is at rank #22,723, tagged as acontraction, pronounced /ˈlɛmi/.
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 62619, this pair ranks #87,480 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lemma vs lemme
Shared letters: elm. Private to "lemma": a. Private to "lemme": -.
"lemma" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "lemme" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lemma" and "lemme" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lemma" or "lemme"?
Remembering lemma vs lemme
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lemma”; for a contraction, it's “lemme”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lemma” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable