lancesvslanzasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#44,279
“lances” frequency rank
#15,888
“lanzas” frequency rank
60167
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lances lanzas
Definition Forma del plural de lance. Tipo de impuesto o pago de ciertos nobles o gente de altos cargos daba al rey a cambio de no tener que participar en campañas de guerra.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
lances
6 ch
lanzas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lances ([ˈlãnses]) and lanzas ([ˈlãnsas]) 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 60167, 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]. lanzas is at rank #15,888, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlãnsas].

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 60167, this pair ranks #59,908 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lances vs lanzas

Shared letters: alns. Private to "lances": ce. Private to "lanzas": z.

"lances" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "lanzas" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lancesalnces · lacnes · lancces · lancess · lancse · lanecs · lannces · lanses
  • lanzasalnzas · lanazs · lannzas · lanzass · lanzsa · lanzzas · laznas · llanzas

Frequency comparison

lances#44,279
lanzas#15,888

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lances" and "lanzas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlãnses] versus [ˈlãnsas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lances" or "lanzas"?
"lanzas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,888 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.

Remembering lances vs lanzas

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 “lances” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list