Which to use
“lesa” is an adjective and “ley” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,169
- “lesa” frequency rank
- #204
- “ley” frequency rank
- 14373
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lesa | ley |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino singular de leso. | Disposición, regla o precepto dictado por la máxima autoridad. |
Where the eye mixes lesa and ley
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between lesa and ley
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lesa is [ˈlesa] while ley is [ˈlej]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14373, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lesa is recorded at frequency rank #14,169, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlesa]. 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 14373, this pair ranks #284,361 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lesa vs ley
Shared letters: el. Private to "lesa": as. Private to "ley": y.
"lesa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "ley" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- lesa ← lessa · llesa · lsea
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lesa" and "ley" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lesa" vs "ley" - 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 "lesa" 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 #284,361 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lesa" and "ley" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lesa vs Lyra". 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 #284,361 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.