lobovslusoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lobo is a noun, luso is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lobo” is a noun and “luso” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,916
“lobo” frequency rank
#44,297
“luso” frequency rank
49213
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lobo luso
Definition (Canis lupus) Variedad salvaje del mismo cánido conocido en su forma doméstica como perro. Alcanza 160 cm de largo y 70 de alzada a la cruz, con una cabeza de buen tamaño con respecto al cuerpo y un grueso pelaje grisáceo, pardo o blanco según las subespecies. Es gregario, formando manadas bien organizadas y con una estricta jerarquía llamadas jauría, que cazan cooperativamente. Se conocen no menos de una treintena de subespecies, distribuidas por todo el hemisferio norte y Oceanía. Simboliza tradicionalmente la fiereza y la rapacidad. Originario, relativo a, o propio de Portugal.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lobo and luso apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lobo
4 ch
luso

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lobo is [ˈloβ̞o] while luso is [ˈluso]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49213, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lobo is recorded at frequency rank #4,916, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈloβ̞o]. luso is at rank #44,297, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈluso].

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 49213, this pair ranks #110,098 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lobo vs luso

Shared letters: lo. Private to "lobo": b. Private to "luso": su.

"lobo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "luso" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lobolboo · llobo · lobbo · loob · lovo · olbo
  • lusolluso · lsuo · luos · lusso · ulso

Frequency comparison

lobo#4,916
luso#44,297

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lobo" and "luso" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lobo" is a noun and "luso" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lobo" or "luso"?
"lobo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,916 in our Spanish list, against #44,297 for "luso". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lobo vs luso

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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