Which to use
“lac” and “lam” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,497
- “lac” frequency rank
- #23,117
- “lam” frequency rank
- 71614
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lac | lam |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Lago. | Cordero. |
Where the eye mixes lac and lam
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. lac and lam follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: lac vs lam
A purely visual mix-up. lac ([lak]) and lam ([lɑm]) 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 - c in “lac” becomes m in “lam”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71614, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lac is recorded at frequency rank #48,497, classified as anoun, pronounced [lak]. lam is at rank #23,117, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lɑm].
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 71614, this pair ranks #27,107 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lac vs lam
Shared letters: al. Private to "lac": c. Private to "lam": m.
"lac" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lam" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lac" for "lam" ever safe?
Which is more common, "lac" or "lam"?
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 "lac" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lam" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #27,107 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lac" and "lam" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lapa". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #27,107 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.