Which to use
“lake” and “lam” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,371
- “lake” frequency rank
- #23,117
- “lam” frequency rank
- 39488
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lake | lam |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Lago. | Cordero. |
Where the eye mixes lake and lam
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lake vs lam
A purely visual mix-up. lake (/leɪk/) and lam ([lɑm]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39488, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lake is recorded at frequency rank #16,371, classified as anoun, pronounced /leɪk/. lam is at rank #23,117, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lɑm].
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 39488, this pair ranks #164,196 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lake vs lam
Shared letters: al. Private to "lake": ek. Private to "lam": m.
"lake" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "lam" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lake ← alke · laek · lakke · lkae · llake
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lake" and "lam" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "lake" or "lam" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lake" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lam" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #164,196 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lake" and "lam" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lam". 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 #164,196 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.