Which to use
“lex” is a verb and “lol” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,983
- “lex” frequency rank
- #948
- “lol” frequency rank
- 15931
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lex | lol |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To perform lexical analysis; to convert a character stream to a token stream as a preliminary to parsing. | Alternative form of LOL. |
Where the eye mixes lex and lol
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between lex and lol
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lex is /lɛks/ while lol is /ɛl.əʊˈɛl/. 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 (verb vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15931, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lex is recorded at frequency rank #14,983, classified as averb, pronounced /lɛks/. lol is at rank #948, tagged as anintj, pronounced /ɛl.əʊˈɛl/.
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 15931, this pair ranks #460,941 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lex vs lol
Shared letters: l. Private to "lex": ex. Private to "lol": o.
"lex" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lol" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lex" for "lol" ever safe?
Which is more common, "lex" or "lol"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "lex" and "lol" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lex" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lol" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #460,941 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lex" and "lol" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lex vs LSC". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #460,941 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.