elevsellWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“ele” and “ell” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#28,351
“ele” frequency rank
#39,191
“ell” frequency rank
67542
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ele ell
Definition Nombre de la letra L (duodécima letra del alfabeto). Codo; antigua medida inglesa especialmente utilizada para medir telas que equivalía a 114,3 centímetros (45 pulgadas).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ele and ell apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
ele
3 ch
ell

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ele ([ˈele]) and ell ([eɫ]) 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 a single letter - e in “ele” becomes l in “ell”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67542, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ele is recorded at frequency rank #28,351, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈele]. ell is at rank #39,191, tagged as anoun, pronounced [eɫ].

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 67542, this pair ranks #36,837 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ele vs ell

Shared letters: el. Private to "ele": -. Private to "ell": -.

"ele" · 3 letters · shape VCV  ·  "ell" · 3 letters · shape VCC

Frequency comparison

ele#28,351
ell#39,191

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ele" and "ell" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈele] versus [eɫ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ele" or "ell"?
"ele" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,351 in our Spanish list, against #39,191 for "ell". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ele vs ell

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 “ele” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list