Which to use
“lance” and “lince” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,732
- “lance” frequency rank
- #26,906
- “lince” frequency rank
- 40638
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lance | lince |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | En el poema dramático y en la novela, suceso, acontecimiento, situación interesante o notable. | Mamífero carnívoro de la familia félidos, muy parecido al gato montés. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lance and lince apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
lance and lince form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - a in “lance” becomes i in “lince” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40638, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lance is recorded at frequency rank #13,732, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlãnse]. lince is at rank #26,906, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlĩnse].
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 40638, this pair ranks #158,009 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lance" and "lince" be used interchangeably?
Remembering lance vs lince
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lance” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable