Which to use
“late” is a verb and “laúd” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,077
- “late” frequency rank
- #42,534
- “laúd” frequency rank
- 53611
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | late | laúd |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de latir. | Instrumento musical antiguo de cuerda, formado por una caja de resonancia ovalada y abombada por la parte trasera, seis pares de cuerdas, y cuyo clavijero forma un ángulo muy pronunciado con el mango, que es corto. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set late and laúd apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: late is [ˈlat̪e] while laúd is [laˈuð̞]. 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 53611, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
late is recorded at frequency rank #11,077, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlat̪e]. laúd is at rank #42,534, tagged as anoun, pronounced [laˈuð̞].
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 53611, this pair ranks #87,051 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of late vs laúd
Shared letters: al. Private to "late": et. Private to "laúd": dú.
"late" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "laúd" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- late ← alte · laet · latte · llate · ltae
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "late" and "laúd" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "late" or "laúd"?
Remembering late vs laúd
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “late”; for a noun, it's “laúd”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “late” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable