Which to use
“leían” is a verb and “lesa” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,830
- “leían” frequency rank
- #14,169
- “lesa” frequency rank
- 58999
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leían | lesa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de leer. | Forma del femenino singular de leso. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leían and lesa apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: leían is [leˈiãn] while lesa is [ˈlesa]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58999, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
leían is recorded at frequency rank #44,830, classified as averb, pronounced [leˈiãn]. lesa is at rank #14,169, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlesa].
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 58999, this pair ranks #64,300 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of leían vs lesa
Shared letters: ael. Private to "leían": ní. Private to "lesa": s.
"leían" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "lesa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- lesa ← lessa · llesa · lsea
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "leían" and "lesa" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "leían" or "lesa"?
Remembering leían vs lesa
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “leían”; for an adjective, it's “lesa”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “leían” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable