Which to use
“lean” and “ley” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,135
- “lean” frequency rank
- #204
- “ley” frequency rank
- 8339
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lean | ley |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bebida de drogas recreativas, la cual es preparada mezclando jarabe para la tos o resfriado con receta médica que contiene codeína y prometazina con refresco y dulces. | Disposición, regla o precepto dictado por la máxima autoridad. |
Where the eye mixes lean and ley
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lean vs ley
A purely visual mix-up. lean ([ˈlĩn] (sustantivo)) and ley ([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 8339, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lean is recorded at frequency rank #8,135, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlĩn] (sustantivo). ley is at rank #204, 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 8339, this pair ranks #305,290 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lean vs ley
Shared letters: el. Private to "lean": an. Private to "ley": y.
"lean" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "ley" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- lean ← elan · laen · leann
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lean" for "ley" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "lean" or "ley" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "lean" and "ley" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lean" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ley" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #305,290 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lean" and "ley" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lean". 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 #305,290 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.