Which to use
“lata” is a noun and “lavan” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,746
- “lata” frequency rank
- #27,284
- “lavan” frequency rank
- 35030
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lata | lavan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Envase hecho de hojalata, con su contenido o sin él. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de lavar. |
Where the eye mixes lata and lavan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between lata and lavan
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lata is [ˈlat̪a] while lavan is [ˈlaβ̞ãn]. 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 35030, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lata is recorded at frequency rank #7,746, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlat̪a]. lavan is at rank #27,284, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaβ̞ãn].
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 35030, this pair ranks #188,235 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lata vs lavan
Shared letters: al. Private to "lata": t. Private to "lavan": nv.
"lata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "lavan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lata" for "lavan" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lata" vs "lavan" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lata" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lavan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #188,235 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lata" and "lavan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lavan vs lavaron". 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 #188,235 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.