Which to use
“lacayo” and “lavabo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,734
- “lacayo” frequency rank
- #27,282
- “lavabo” frequency rank
- 60016
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lacayo | lavabo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Criado de librea, cuya principal ocupación es acompañar a su amo a pie, a caballo o en coche. | Pila dedicada al aseo de la parte superior del cuerpo. |
Where the eye mixes lacayo and lavabo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. lacayo (CVCVVV) and lavabo (CVCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses lacayo with lavabo
A purely visual mix-up. lacayo ([laˈkaʝo]) and lavabo ([laˈβ̞aβ̞o]) 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 60016, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lacayo is recorded at frequency rank #32,734, classified as anoun, pronounced [laˈkaʝo]. lavabo is at rank #27,282, tagged as anoun, pronounced [laˈβ̞aβ̞o].
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 60016, this pair ranks #60,448 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lacayo vs lavabo
Shared letters: alo. Private to "lacayo": cy. Private to "lavabo": bv.
"lacayo" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVV · "lavabo" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lacayo" and "lavabo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lacayo" or "lavabo"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lacayo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lavabo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #60,448 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lacayo" and "lavabo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lavabo vs lavaron". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #60,448 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.