lacravslauroWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,114
“lacra” frequency rank
#40,925
“lauro” frequency rank
67039
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lacra lauro
Definition Secuela de una enfermedad. (Laurus nobilis) Árbol lauráceo de hojas olorosas y madera resistente, considerado símbolo de victoria entre los antiguos griegos y romanos y usado en la cocina como especia.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lacra and lauro apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
lacra
5 ch
lauro

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lacra ([ˈlakɾa]) and lauro ([ˈlawɾo]) 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 67039, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lacra is recorded at frequency rank #26,114, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlakɾa]. lauro is at rank #40,925, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlawɾo].

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 67039, this pair ranks #38,191 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lacra vs lauro

Shared letters: alr. Private to "lacra": c. Private to "lauro": ou.

"lacra" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "lauro" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lacraalcra · lacar · laccra · lacrra · larca · llacra
  • lauroaluro · laruo · lauor · laurro · llauro · luaro

Frequency comparison

lacra#26,114
lauro#40,925

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lacra" and "lauro" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlakɾa] versus [ˈlawɾo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lacra" or "lauro"?
"lacra" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,114 in our Spanish list, against #40,925 for "lauro". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lacra vs lauro

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 “lacra” 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