liesvslíneasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lies is a verb, líneas is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lies” is a verb and “líneas” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#48,504
“lies” frequency rank
#1,610
“líneas” frequency rank
50114
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lies líneas
Definition Segunda persona del singular (vos) del presente de subjuntivo de liar o de liarse. Forma del plural de línea

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
lies
6 ch
líneas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lies is [ˈljes] while líneas is [ˈlineas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 50114, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lies is recorded at frequency rank #48,504, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈljes]. líneas is at rank #1,610, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlineas].

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 50114, this pair ranks #105,004 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lies vs líneas

Shared letters: els. Private to "lies": i. Private to "líneas": aní.

"lies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "líneas" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • liesiles · leis · liess · lise · llies

Frequency comparison

lies#48,504
líneas#1,610

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lies" and "líneas" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lies" is a verb and "líneas" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lies" or "líneas"?
"líneas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,610 in our Spanish list, against #48,504 for "lies". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering lies vs líneas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lies”; for a noun, it's “líneas”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lies” 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