Which to use
“lac” is a noun and “lao” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,497
- “lac” frequency rank
- #22,079
- “lao” frequency rank
- 70576
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lac | lao |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Lago. | Que pertenece o concierne a la etnia mayoritaria de Laos |
Where the eye mixes lac and lao
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. lac (CVC) and lao (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses lac with lao
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lac is [lak] while lao is [ˈlao]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - c in “lac” becomes o in “lao”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70576, 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]. lao is at rank #22,079, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlao].
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 70576, this pair ranks #29,374 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lac vs lao
Shared letters: al. Private to "lac": c. Private to "lao": o.
"lac" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lao" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lac" for "lao" ever safe?
Which is more common, "lac" or "lao"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "lac" and "lao" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lac" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lao" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #29,374 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lac" and "lao" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lapa". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #29,374 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.