Which to use
“lad” and “lais” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,389
- “lad” frequency rank
- #41,862
- “lais” frequency rank
- 80251
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lad | lais |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Valet d’écurie chargé de garder et de soigner les chevaux de course. | Jeune baliveau de l’âge du bois, qu’on laisse quand on coupe le taillis, afin qu’il vienne en haute futaie. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lad and lais apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. lad (\lad\) and lais (\lɛ\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80251, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lad is recorded at frequency rank #38,389, classified as anoun, pronounced \lad\. lais is at rank #41,862, tagged as anoun, pronounced \lɛ\.
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 80251, this pair ranks #21,434 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lad vs lais
Shared letters: al. Private to "lad": d. Private to "lais": is.
"lad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lais" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lais ← alis · laiss · lasi · llais
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lad" and "lais" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lad" or "lais"?
Remembering lad vs lais
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 “lad” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable