leavsloWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lea is a verb, lo is an article, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lea” is a verb and “lo” is an article - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,323
“lea” frequency rank
#19
“lo” frequency rank
5342
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lea lo
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de leer. Artículo determinado de género neutro que se usa para sustantivar adjetivos o frases. Forma del neutro de el.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lea and lo apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
lea
2 ch
lo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

lea and lo form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5342, 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]. lo is at rank #19, tagged as anarticle, pronounced [lo].

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 5342, this pair ranks #313,853 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

lea#5,323
lo#19

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lea" and "lo" be used interchangeably?
No, "lea" and "lo" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering lea vs lo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lea”; for an article, it's “lo”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lea” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list