Which to use
“llave” is a noun and “lleve” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,352
- “llave” frequency rank
- #3,427
- “lleve” frequency rank
- 7779
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | llave | lleve |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Instrumento generalmente metálico que contiene un código grabado, el cuál al introducirlo en una cerradura permite abrirla. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de llevar o de llevarse. |
Where the eye mixes llave and lleve
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: llave vs lleve
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: llave is [ˈʝaβ̞e] while lleve is [ˈʝeβ̞e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “llave” becomes e in “lleve”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7779, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
llave is recorded at frequency rank #4,352, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʝaβ̞e]. lleve is at rank #3,427, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʝeβ̞e].
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 7779, this pair ranks #306,962 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of llave vs lleve
Shared letters: elv. Private to "llave": a. Private to "lleve": -.
"llave" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "lleve" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "llave" and "lleve" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "llave" vs "lleve" - 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 "llave" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lleve" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,962 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "llave" and "lleve" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "llave vs llené". 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 #306,962 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.