Which to use
“la” is an article and “lea” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2
- “la” frequency rank
- #5,323
- “lea” frequency rank
- 5325
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | la | lea |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Artículo determinado femenino singular. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de leer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set la and lea apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
la and lea form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5325, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
la is recorded at frequency rank #2, classified as anarticle, pronounced [la]. lea is at rank #5,323, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlea].
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 5325, this pair ranks #313,897 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "la" and "lea" be used interchangeably?
Remembering la vs lea
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an article, it's “la”; for a verb, it's “lea”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “la” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable