Which to use
“laia” and “lixa” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,883
- “laia” frequency rank
- #26,452
- “lixa” frequency rank
- 64335
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | laia | lixa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | lã | diversas espécies de esqualos recebem este nome pela sua pele áspera e rugosa |
Where the eye mixes laia and lixa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. laia (CVVV) and lixa (CVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: laia vs lixa
A purely visual mix-up. laia (/ˈlaj.ɐ/) and lixa (/ˈli.ʃɐ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64335, 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/. lixa is at rank #26,452, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈli.ʃɐ/.
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 64335, this pair ranks #5,821 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of laia vs lixa
Shared letters: ail. Private to "laia": -. Private to "lixa": x.
"laia" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "lixa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "laia" for "lixa" ever safe?
Which is more common, "laia" or "lixa"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "laia" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lixa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #5,821 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "laia" and "lixa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "laia vs liana". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #5,821 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.