Which to use
“les” is an adjective and “loy” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,067
- “les” frequency rank
- #45,491
- “loy” frequency rank
- 51558
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | les | loy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Clipping of lesbian. | A type of one-eared spade used in Ireland. |
Where the eye mixes les and loy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between les and loy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: les is /lɛz/ while loy is /lɔɪ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51558, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
les is recorded at frequency rank #6,067, classified as anadj, pronounced /lɛz/. loy is at rank #45,491, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɔɪ/.
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 51558, this pair ranks #164,471 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of les vs loy
Shared letters: l. Private to "les": es. Private to "loy": oy.
"les" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "loy" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "les" for "loy" ever safe?
Frequency check: "les" vs "loy" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "les" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "loy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #164,471 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "les" and "loy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "loy vs LSC". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #164,471 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.