Which to use
“ladrón” and “llorón” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,848
- “ladrón” frequency rank
- #33,693
- “llorón” frequency rank
- 39541
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ladrón | llorón |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que tiene por costumbre u oficio el apropiarse de cosas que no le pertenecen. | Que llora o se queja con facilidad y frecuencia. |
Where the eye mixes ladrón and llorón
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. ladrón (CVCCVC) and llorón (CCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses ladrón with llorón
A purely visual mix-up. ladrón ([laˈð̞ɾõn]) and llorón ([ʝoˈɾõn]) 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 39541, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ladrón is recorded at frequency rank #5,848, classified as anadj, pronounced [laˈð̞ɾõn]. llorón is at rank #33,693, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʝoˈɾõn].
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 39541, this pair ranks #163,929 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ladrón vs llorón
Shared letters: lnró. Private to "ladrón": ad. Private to "llorón": o.
"ladrón" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "llorón" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ladrón" for "llorón" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ladrón" vs "llorón" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "ladrón" and "llorón" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ladrón" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "llorón" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #163,929 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ladrón" and "llorón" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "llorón vs llorones". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #163,929 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.