lacvsleyWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,497
“lac” frequency rank
#204
“ley” frequency rank
48701
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lac ley
Definition Lago. Disposición, regla o precepto dictado por la máxima autoridad.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lac and ley apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
lac
3 ch
ley

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lac ([lak]) and ley ([ˈlej]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48701, 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]. ley is at rank #204, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlej].

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 48701, this pair ranks #112,991 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lac vs ley

Shared letters: l. Private to "lac": ac. Private to "ley": ey.

"lac" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "ley" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

lac#48,497
ley#204

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lac" and "ley" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lak] versus [ˈlej]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lac" or "ley"?
"ley" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #204 in our Spanish list, against #48,497 for "lac". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering lac vs ley

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 “lac” 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