lagovslataWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,784
“lago” frequency rank
#7,746
“lata” frequency rank
10530
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lago lata
Definition Cuerpo de agua, generalmente dulce, de tamaño considerable, que se encuentra separado del mar. Envase hecho de hojalata, con su contenido o sin él.

Where the eye mixes lago and lata

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
lago
4 ch
lata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lago ([ˈlaɣ̞o]) and lata ([ˈlat̪a]) 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 10530, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lago is recorded at frequency rank #2,784, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaɣ̞o]. lata is at rank #7,746, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlat̪a].

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 10530, this pair ranks #298,269 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lago vs lata

Shared letters: al. Private to "lago": go. Private to "lata": t.

"lago" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "lata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lagolaggo · laog · lgao · llago
  • latalaat · latta · llata · ltaa

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lago" and "lata" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaɣ̞o] versus [ˈlat̪a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lago" or "lata"?
"lago" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,784 in our Spanish list, against #7,746 for "lata". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

You've compared "lago" and "lata". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lago" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lata" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #298,269 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lago" and "lata" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lata vs Lyra". 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

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list