Which to use
“lay” and “lei” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,585
- “lay” frequency rank
- #9,485
- “lei” frequency rank
- 45070
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lay | lei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Composición poética medieval de los provenzales y de los franceses, destinada a relatar una leyenda o historia de amores, generalmente en versos cortos. | Corona de flores que adorna el cuello y que se obsequia al llegar o marchar como símbolo de afecto. |
Where the eye mixes lay and lei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lay vs lei
A purely visual mix-up. lay ([ˈlaj]) and lei ([ˈlej]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45070, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lay is recorded at frequency rank #35,585, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaj]. lei is at rank #9,485, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlej].
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 45070, this pair ranks #133,569 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lay vs lei
Shared letters: l. Private to "lay": ay. Private to "lei": ei.
"lay" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "lei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lay" and "lei" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lay" or "lei"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lay" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #133,569 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lay" and "lei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lay". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #133,569 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.