lentevslinceWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,946
“lente” frequency rank
#26,906
“lince” frequency rank
40852
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lente lince
Definition Disco de vidrio u otra sustancia transparente que por su forma refracta la luz procedente de un objeto y forma una imagen de éste. Mamífero carnívoro de la familia félidos, muy parecido al gato montés.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lente and lince apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
lente
5 ch
lince

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

lente and lince form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40852, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lente is recorded at frequency rank #13,946, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlẽn̪t̪e]. lince is at rank #26,906, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlĩnse].

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 40852, this pair ranks #156,849 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

lente#13,946
lince#26,906

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lente" and "lince" be used interchangeably?
No, "lente" and "lince" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering lente vs lince

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lente” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list