Which to use
“luces” is a noun and “lució” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,893
- “luces” frequency rank
- #35,599
- “lució” frequency rank
- 38492
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | luces | lució |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de luz. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de lucir. |
Where the eye mixes luces and lució
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses luces with lució
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: luces is [ˈluses] while lució is [luˈsjo]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38492, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
luces is recorded at frequency rank #2,893, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈluses]. lució is at rank #35,599, tagged as averb, pronounced [luˈsjo].
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 38492, this pair ranks #169,730 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of luces vs lució
Shared letters: clu. Private to "luces": es. Private to "lució": ió.
"luces" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "lució" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- luces ← lcues · lluces · lucces · lucess · lucse · luecs · luses · ulces
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "luces" for "lució" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "luces" or "lució" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "luces" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lució" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #169,730 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "luces" and "lució" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lucían vs lució". 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 #169,730 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.