lamavsLezamaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lama is a noun, Lezama is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lama” is a noun and “Lezama” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,406
“lama” frequency rank
#36,646
“Lezama” frequency rank
52052
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lama Lezama
Definition Superior de los monjes en el budismo. Ciudad de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, cabecera del partido del mismo nombre. Su gentilicio es lezamense.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lama and Lezama apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lama
6 ch
Lezama

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lama is [ˈlama] while Lezama is [leˈsama]. 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 name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52052, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lama is recorded at frequency rank #15,406, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlama]. Lezama is at rank #36,646, tagged as aname, pronounced [leˈsama].

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 52052, this pair ranks #94,660 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lama vs Lezama

Shared letters: alm. Private to "lama": -. Private to "Lezama": ez.

"lama" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Lezama" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lamalaam · lamma · lmaa
  • Lezamaelzama · leazma · lezaam · lezamma · lezmaa · lezzama · llezama · lzeama

Frequency comparison

lama#15,406
Lezama#36,646

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lama" and "Lezama" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lama" is a noun and "Lezama" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lama" or "Lezama"?
"lama" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,406 in our Spanish list, against #36,646 for "Lezama". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lama vs Lezama

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lama”; for a name, it's “Lezama”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lama” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list