Which to use
“lucen” is a verb and “luces” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,416
- “lucen” frequency rank
- #2,893
- “luces” frequency rank
- 23309
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lucen | luces |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de lucir o de lucirse. | Forma del plural de luz. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lucen and luces apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lucen is [ˈlusẽn] while luces is [ˈluses]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “lucen” becomes s in “luces”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23309, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lucen is recorded at frequency rank #20,416, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlusẽn]. luces is at rank #2,893, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈluses].
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 23309, this pair ranks #246,389 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lucen vs luces
Shared letters: celu. Private to "lucen": n. Private to "luces": s.
"lucen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "luces" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lucen" and "luces" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lucen" or "luces"?
Remembering lucen vs luces
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lucen”; for a noun, it's “luces”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lucen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable