Which to use
“lei” and “lo” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,248
- “lei” frequency rank
- #8,119
- “lo” frequency rank
- 38367
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lei | lo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de leu. | Année. |
Where the eye mixes lei and lo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lei with lo
A purely visual mix-up. lei (\lɛj\) and lo (\lo\) 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 38367, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lei is recorded at frequency rank #30,248, classified as anoun, pronounced \lɛj\. lo is at rank #8,119, tagged as anoun, pronounced \lo\.
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 38367, this pair ranks #255,753 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lei vs lo
Shared letters: l. Private to "lei": ei. Private to "lo": o.
"lei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "lo" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lei" for "lo" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lei" vs "lo" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #255,753 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lei" and "lo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lei vs lep". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #255,753 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.