lagovsloWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lago is a noun, lo is an article, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lago” is a noun and “lo” is an article - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,784
“lago” frequency rank
#19
“lo” frequency rank
2803
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lago lo
Definition Cuerpo de agua, generalmente dulce, de tamaño considerable, que se encuentra separado del mar. Artículo determinado de género neutro que se usa para sustantivar adjetivos o frases. Forma del neutro de el.

Where the eye mixes lago and lo

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

4 ch
lago
2 ch
lo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lago is [ˈlaɣ̞o] while lo is [lo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs article), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2803, 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]. lo is at rank #19, tagged as anarticle, pronounced [lo].

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 2803, this pair ranks #319,606 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lago vs lo

Shared letters: lo. Private to "lago": ag. Private to "lo": -.

"lago" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "lo" · 2 letters · shape CV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lagolaggo · laog · lgao · llago

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lago" and "lo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lago" is a noun and "lo" an article, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lago" or "lo"?
"lo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19 in our Spanish list, against #2,784 for "lago". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list