leguasvslemasConfusable pair

Which to use

“leguas” and “lemas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#22,409
“leguas” frequency rank
#28,429
“lemas” frequency rank
50838
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leguas lemas
Definition Forma del plural de legua. Forma del plural de lema.

Where the eye mixes leguas and lemas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. leguas runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against lemas's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
leguas
5 ch
lemas

Look-alike desk: leguas vs lemas

A purely visual mix-up. leguas ([ˈleɣ̞was]) and lemas ([ˈlemas]) 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 50838, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

leguas is recorded at frequency rank #22,409, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈleɣ̞was]. lemas is at rank #28,429, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlemas].

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 50838, this pair ranks #101,078 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of leguas vs lemas

Shared letters: aels. Private to "leguas": gu. Private to "lemas": m.

"leguas" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "lemas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leguas ← elguas · legaus · legguas · leguass · legusa · leugas · lgeuas · lleguas
  • lemas ← elmas · leams · lemass · lemmas · lemsa · llemas · lmeas

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "leguas" for "lemas" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈleɣ̞was] versus [ˈlemas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "leguas" vs "lemas" - which ranks higher?
"leguas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,409 in our Spanish list, against #28,429 for "lemas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "leguas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lemas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #101,078 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "leguas" and "lemas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lemas vs lens". 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 #101,078 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