lancesvslanchaConfusable pair

Which to use

“lances” and “lancha” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#44,279
“lances” frequency rank
#17,744
“lancha” frequency rank
62023
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lances lancha
Definition Forma del plural de lance. Embarcación de pequeñas dimensiones, con motor y sin cubierta, que se usa en zonas costeras, lagos y ríos.

Where the eye mixes lances and lancha

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. lances (CVCCVC) and lancha (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

6 ch
lances
6 ch
lancha

Look-alike desk: lances vs lancha

A purely visual mix-up. lances ([ˈlãnses]) and lancha ([ˈlãnʲt͡ʃa]) 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 62023, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lances is recorded at frequency rank #44,279, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlãnses]. lancha is at rank #17,744, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlãnʲt͡ʃa].

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 62023, this pair ranks #53,442 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lances vs lancha

Shared letters: acln. Private to "lances": es. Private to "lancha": h.

"lances" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "lancha" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lances ← alnces · lacnes · lancces · lancess · lancse · lanecs · lannces · lanses
  • lancha ← alncha · lacnha · lancah · lanccha · lanchha · lanhca · lanncha · llancha

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "lances" for "lancha" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlãnses] versus [ˈlãnʲt͡ʃa]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "lances" vs "lancha" - which ranks higher?
"lancha" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,744 in our Spanish list, against #44,279 for "lances". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "lances" and "lancha" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lances" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lancha" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #53,442 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lances" and "lancha" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lanceros vs lances". 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 #53,442 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list