Which to use
“lea” and “leave” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,323
- “lea” frequency rank
- #35,123
- “leave” frequency rank
- 40446
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lea | leave |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de leer. | Salir. |
Where the eye mixes lea and leave
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lea vs leave
A purely visual mix-up. lea ([ˈlea]) and leave (/liːv/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “lea” sits inside “leave”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40446, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lea is recorded at frequency rank #5,323, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlea]. leave is at rank #35,123, tagged as averb, pronounced /liːv/.
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 40446, this pair ranks #159,044 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lea vs leave
Shared letters: ael. Private to "lea": -. Private to "leave": v.
"lea" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "leave" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- leave ← elave · laeve · leabe · leaev · leavve · levae · lleave
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lea" and "leave" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lea" or "leave"?
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 "lea" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "leave" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #159,044 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lea" and "leave" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "leave vs leone". 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 #159,044 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.