LilavslilasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Lila is a name, lilas is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Lila” is a name and “lilas” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,111
“Lila” frequency rank
#46,642
“lilas” frequency rank
66753
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lila lilas
Definition Nombre que antiguamente llevó en español la ciudad francesa de Lille. Forma del plural de lila.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Lila and lilas apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Lila
5 ch
lilas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Lila is [ˈlila] while lilas is [ˈlilas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Lila” sits inside “lilas”, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66753, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Lila is recorded at frequency rank #20,111, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈlila]. lilas is at rank #46,642, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlilas].

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 66753, this pair ranks #38,974 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Lila vs lilas

Shared letters: ail. Private to "Lila": -. Private to "lilas": s.

"Lila" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "lilas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lilalial · lilla · llia · llila
  • lilasillas · lials · lilass · lillas · lilsa · llias · llilas

Frequency comparison

Lila#20,111
lilas#46,642

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lila" and "lilas" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Lila" is a name and "lilas" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Lila" or "lilas"?
"Lila" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,111 in our Spanish list, against #46,642 for "lilas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Lila vs lilas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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