lasavslemaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lasa is a verb, lema is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lasa” is a verb and “lema” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#45,408
“lasa” frequency rank
#6,195
“lema” frequency rank
51603
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lasa lema
Definition Tercera persona singular del presente de indicativo del verbo lasar. Frase o expresión distintiva que se emplea como guía para la conducta o latiguillo en la comunicación.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lasa and lema apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lasa
4 ch
lema

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lasa is [ˈlasa] while lema is [ˈlema]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51603, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lasa is recorded at frequency rank #45,408, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlasa]. lema is at rank #6,195, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlema].

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 51603, this pair ranks #97,063 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lasa vs lema

Shared letters: al. Private to "lasa": s. Private to "lema": em.

"lasa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "lema" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lasalassa · llasa · lsaa
  • lemaelma · leam · lemma · llema · lmea

Frequency comparison

lasa#45,408
lema#6,195

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lasa" and "lema" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lasa" is a verb and "lema" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lasa" or "lema"?
"lema" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,195 in our Spanish list, against #45,408 for "lasa". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lasa vs lema

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lasa”; for a noun, it's “lema”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lasa” 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