Which to use
“leer” is a verb and “lex” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #610
- “leer” frequency rank
- #19,783
- “lex” frequency rank
- 20393
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leer | lex |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Interpretar lo impreso o lo escrito por el conocimiento de los signos. | Proyecto de ley presentado ante el pueblo. |
Where the eye mixes leer and lex
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses leer with lex
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: leer is [leˈeɾ] while lex is [leːks]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20393, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
leer is recorded at frequency rank #610, classified as averb, pronounced [leˈeɾ]. lex is at rank #19,783, tagged as anoun, pronounced [leːks].
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 20393, this pair ranks #259,537 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of leer vs lex
Shared letters: el. Private to "leer": r. Private to "lex": x.
"leer" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "lex" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- leer ← eler · leerr · ler · lere · lleer
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "leer" for "lex" ever safe?
Frequency check: "leer" vs "lex" - which ranks higher?
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 "leer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lex" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #259,537 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leer" and "lex" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lex vs lies". 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 #259,537 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.