Which to use
“lies” and “lives” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,504
- “lies” frequency rank
- #34,192
- “lives” frequency rank
- 82696
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lies | lives |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (vos) del presente de subjuntivo de liar o de liarse. | Segunda persona del singular del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de livañ o liviñ. |
Where the eye mixes lies and lives
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. lies runs 4 letters (CVVC) against lives's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: lies vs lives
A purely visual mix-up. lies ([ˈljes]) and lives (/ˈliː.vɛs/) 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 82696, 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]. lives is at rank #34,192, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈliː.vɛs/.
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 82696, this pair ranks #8,967 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lies vs lives
Shared letters: eils. Private to "lies": -. Private to "lives": v.
"lies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "lives" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lies" and "lives" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "lies" vs "lives" - 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 "lies" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lives" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #8,967 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lies" and "lives" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lens vs lies". 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 #8,967 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.