Which to use
“lao” is an adjective and “le” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,079
- “lao” frequency rank
- #30
- “le” frequency rank
- 22109
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lao | le |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que pertenece o concierne a la etnia mayoritaria de Laos | Dativo de los pronombres personales de tercera persona él, ella y ello. |
Where the eye mixes lao and le
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lao vs le
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lao is [ˈlao] while le is [le]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22109, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lao is recorded at frequency rank #22,079, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlao]. le is at rank #30, tagged as apron, pronounced [le].
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 22109, this pair ranks #251,868 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lao vs le
Shared letters: l. Private to "lao": ao. Private to "le": e.
"lao" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "le" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lao" and "le" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "lao" or "le" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lao" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "le" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #251,868 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lao" and "le" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lao". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #251,868 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.