lança vs lang, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“lança” is a noun and “lang” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,380
“lança” frequency rank: #17,555
“lang” frequency rank: 19935
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	lança	lang
Definition	uma arma longa para ser arremessada, que consiste de uma haste de madeira à qual é ligada uma ponta de metal	por

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch

lança

4 ch

lang

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: lança is anoun and langanadverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19935, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lança is recorded at frequency rank #2,380, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɐ̃.sɐ/. lang is at rank #17,555, tagged as anadv.

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 19935, this pair ranks #50,682 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lança vs lang

Shared letters: aln. Private to "lança": ç. Private to "lang": g.

"lança" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "lang" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

lang ← alng · lagn · langg · lanng · llang · lnag

Frequency comparison

lança#2,380

lang#17,555

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lança" and "lang" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lança" is a noun and "lang" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "lança" or "lang"?

"lança" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,380 in our Portuguese list, against #17,555 for "lang". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lança vs lang

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lança”; for an adverb, it's “lang”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lança” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable