Which to use
“las” is an article and “láser” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15
- “las” frequency rank
- #10,171
- “láser” frequency rank
- 10186
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | las | láser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Artículo determinado femenino plural. Antecede a sustantivos femeninos en plural denotando que estos deben tomarse como información general consabida. | Dispositivo que utiliza la emisión inducida para generar un haz de luz coherente tanto espacial como temporalmente. |
Where the eye mixes las and láser
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses las with láser
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: las is [las] while láser is [ˈlaseɾ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (article vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10186, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
las is recorded at frequency rank #15, classified as anarticle, pronounced [las]. láser is at rank #10,171, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaseɾ].
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 10186, this pair ranks #299,536 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of las vs láser
Shared letters: ls. Private to "las": a. Private to "láser": erá.
"las" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "láser" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "las" for "láser" ever safe?
Which is more common, "las" or "láser"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "las" and "láser" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "las" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "láser" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #299,536 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "las" and "láser" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "láser vs lover". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #299,536 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.