Which to use
“lam” and “ley” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,117
- “lam” frequency rank
- #204
- “ley” frequency rank
- 23321
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lam | ley |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cordero. | Disposición, regla o precepto dictado por la máxima autoridad. |
Where the eye mixes lam and ley
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lam with ley
A purely visual mix-up. lam ([lɑm]) and ley ([ˈlej]) 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 23321, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lam is recorded at frequency rank #23,117, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɑm]. ley is at rank #204, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlej].
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 23321, this pair ranks #246,328 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lam vs ley
Shared letters: l. Private to "lam": am. Private to "ley": ey.
"lam" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "ley" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lam" for "ley" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "lam" or "ley" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "lam" and "ley" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ley" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #246,328 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lam" and "ley" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lam". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #246,328 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.