Which to use
“laia” and “lápis” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,883
- “laia” frequency rank
- #8,496
- “lápis” frequency rank
- 46379
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | laia | lápis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | lã | cilindro fino de material apropriado, geralmente grafite, envolvido por uma menos fina tora de madeira usado para escrever, desenhar ou pintar: |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set laia and lápis 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. laia (/ˈlaj.ɐ/) and lápis (/ˈla.piⁱʃ/) 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 46379, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
laia is recorded at frequency rank #37,883, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlaj.ɐ/. lápis is at rank #8,496, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈla.piⁱʃ/.
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 46379, this pair ranks #18,928 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of laia vs lápis
Shared letters: il. Private to "laia": a. Private to "lápis": psá.
"laia" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "lápis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- laia ← alia · laai · liaa · llaia
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "laia" and "lápis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "laia" or "lápis"?
Remembering laia vs lápis
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 “laia” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable