laiavslataWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“laia” and “lata” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#37,883
“laia” frequency rank
#6,442
“lata” frequency rank
44325
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature laia lata
Definition folha de ferro laminada e estanhada

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set laia and lata apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
laia
4 ch
lata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. laia (/ˈlaj.ɐ/) and lata (/ˈla.tɐ/) 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 a single letter - i in “laia” becomes t in “lata”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44325, 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/. lata is at rank #6,442, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈla.tɐ/.

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 44325, this pair ranks #21,171 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of laia vs lata

Shared letters: al. Private to "laia": i. Private to "lata": t.

"laia" · 4 letters · shape CVVV  ·  "lata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • laiaalia · laai · liaa · llaia
  • latalaat · latta · llata · ltaa

Frequency comparison

laia#37,883
lata#6,442

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "laia" and "lata" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈlaj.ɐ/ versus /ˈla.tɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "laia" or "lata"?
"lata" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,442 in our Portuguese list, against #37,883 for "laia". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering laia vs lata

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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list