Which to use
“lead” and “lei” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,314
- “lead” frequency rank
- #9,485
- “lei” frequency rank
- 48799
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lead | lei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Plomo. | Corona de flores que adorna el cuello y que se obsequia al llegar o marchar como símbolo de afecto. |
Where the eye mixes lead and lei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lead with lei
A purely visual mix-up. lead (/lɛd/) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48799, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lead is recorded at frequency rank #39,314, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɛd/. 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 48799, this pair ranks #112,470 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lead vs lei
Shared letters: el. Private to "lead": ad. Private to "lei": i.
"lead" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "lei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- lead ← elad · laed · leadd · leda · llead
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lead" and "lei" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "lead" or "lei" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lead" 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 #112,470 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lead" and "lei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lead". 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 #112,470 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.