Which to use
“lait” is a noun and “lay” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,043
- “lait” frequency rank
- #27,500
- “lay” frequency rank
- 29543
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lait | lay |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Liquide produit par les glandes mammaires des femelles de mammifères pendant la période de lactation qui suit la parturition, et destiné à nourrir les bébés lors de l’allaitement. | Variante de lé. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lait and lay apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
lait and lay form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29543, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lait is recorded at frequency rank #2,043, classified as anoun, pronounced \lɛ\. lay is at rank #27,500, tagged as anadj.
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 29543, this pair ranks #316,014 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lait" and "lay" be used interchangeably?
Remembering lait vs lay
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lait”; for an adjective, it's “lay”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lait” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable