líneavslinesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#445
“línea” frequency rank
#42,009
“lines” frequency rank
42454
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature línea lines
Definition Serie continua de puntos sucesivos formando una raya o segmento longitudinal en cualquier trayecto (recto, curvo, etc.). La forma exterior o proporciones de un barco, edificio, etcétera.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
línea
5 ch
lines

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. línea ([ˈlinea]) and lines (/laɪnz/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42454, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

línea is recorded at frequency rank #445, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlinea]. lines is at rank #42,009, tagged as anoun, pronounced /laɪnz/.

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 42454, this pair ranks #148,124 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of línea vs lines

Shared letters: eln. Private to "línea": . Private to "lines": is.

"línea" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "lines" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • linesilnes · liens · liness · linnes · llines · lnies

Frequency comparison

línea#445
lines#42,009

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "línea" and "lines" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlinea] versus /laɪnz/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "línea" or "lines"?
"línea" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #445 in our Spanish list, against #42,009 for "lines". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering línea vs lines

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 “línea” 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