leavsluxWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: lea is a verb, lux is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#5,323
“lea” frequency rank
#23,482
“lux” frequency rank
28805
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lea lux
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de leer. Unidad derivada del Sistema Internacional de Unidades para la iluminancia o nivel de iluminación, equivalente a un lumen por metro cuadrado.

Where the eye mixes lea and lux

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
lea
3 ch
lux

Visual trap between lea and lux

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lea is [ˈlea] while lux is [ˈluks]. 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 28805, 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]. lux is at rank #23,482, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈluks].

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 28805, this pair ranks #220,182 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lea vs lux

Shared letters: l. Private to "lea": ae. Private to "lux": ux.

"lea" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "lux" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lea" and "lux" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lea" is a verb and "lux" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "lea" or "lux" show up more?
"lea" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,323 in our Spanish list, against #23,482 for "lux". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "lea" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lux" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #220,182 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lea" and "lux" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lux". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #220,182 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list