Which to use
“láser” is a noun and “late” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,171
- “láser” frequency rank
- #11,077
- “late” frequency rank
- 21248
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | láser | late |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dispositivo que utiliza la emisión inducida para generar un haz de luz coherente tanto espacial como temporalmente. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de latir. |
Where the eye mixes láser and late
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: láser vs late
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: láser is [ˈlaseɾ] while late is [ˈlat̪e]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21248, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
láser is recorded at frequency rank #10,171, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaseɾ]. late is at rank #11,077, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlat̪e].
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 21248, this pair ranks #255,766 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of láser vs late
Shared letters: el. Private to "láser": rsá. Private to "late": at.
"láser" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "late" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- late ← alte · laet · latte · llate · ltae
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "láser" for "late" ever safe?
Which is more common, "láser" or "late"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "láser" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "late" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #255,766 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "láser" and "late" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs late". 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 #255,766 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.