lapsusvslupusWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,453
“lapsus” frequency rank
#29,724
“lupus” frequency rank
71177
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lapsus lupus
Definition Fallo involuntario producido por la falta de atención o habilidad Enfermedad autoinmune crónica que afecta al tejido conjuntivo, caracterizada por inflamación y daño de tejidos.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
lapsus
5 ch
lupus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lapsus ([ˈlapsus]) and lupus ([ˈlupus]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71177, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lapsus is recorded at frequency rank #41,453, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlapsus]. lupus is at rank #29,724, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlupus].

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 71177, this pair ranks #28,054 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lapsus vs lupus

Shared letters: lpsu. Private to "lapsus": a. Private to "lupus": -.

"lapsus" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "lupus" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lapsusalpsus · lappsus · lapssu · lapssus · lapsuss · lapuss · laspus · llapsus
  • lupusllupus · lpuus · luppus · lupsu · lupuss · luups · ulpus

Frequency comparison

lapsus#41,453
lupus#29,724

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lapsus" and "lupus" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlapsus] versus [ˈlupus]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lapsus" or "lupus"?
"lupus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,724 in our Spanish list, against #41,453 for "lapsus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lapsus vs lupus

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 “lapsus” 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