Which to use
“lanza” is a noun and “lanzó” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,715
- “lanza” frequency rank
- #3,492
- “lanzó” frequency rank
- 7207
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lanza | lanzó |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Arma formada por un asta de longitud considerable que en uno de sus extremos posee una punta afilada hecha de algún material resistente como hierro, piedra o hueso, entre otros. Se ha usado en casi todas las épocas y culturas por su facilidad de fabricación y de manejo. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de lanzar o de lanzarse. |
Where the eye mixes lanza and lanzó
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lanza with lanzó
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lanza is [ˈlãnsa] while lanzó is [lãnˈso]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “lanza” becomes ó in “lanzó”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7207, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lanza is recorded at frequency rank #3,715, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlãnsa]. lanzó is at rank #3,492, tagged as averb, pronounced [lãnˈso].
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 7207, this pair ranks #308,648 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lanza vs lanzó
Shared letters: alnz. Private to "lanza": -. Private to "lanzó": ó.
"lanza" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "lanzó" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- lanza ← alnza · lanaz · lannza · lanzza · lazna · llanza · lnaza
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lanza" and "lanzó" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "lanza" or "lanzó" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lanza" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lanzó" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #308,648 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lanza" and "lanzó" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lanzó vs longo". 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 #308,648 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.