lança vs larva, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,380
“lança” frequency rank: #35,214
“larva” frequency rank: 37594
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	lança	larva
Definition	uma arma longa para ser arremessada, que consiste de uma haste de madeira à qual é ligada uma ponta de metal	embrião que se torna livre abandonando normalmente os invólucros ovulares ou o organismo progenitor

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch

lança

5 ch

larva

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lança (/ˈlɐ̃.sɐ/) and larva (/'lar.va/) 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 37594, 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/. larva is at rank #35,214, tagged as anoun, pronounced /'lar.va/.

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 37594, this pair ranks #28,986 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lança vs larva

Shared letters: al. Private to "lança": nç. Private to "larva": rv.

"lança" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "larva" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

larva ← alrva · larav · larrva · larvva · llarva · lrava

Frequency comparison

lança#2,380

larva#35,214

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

No. They are said differently (/ˈlɐ̃.sɐ/ versus /'lar.va/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

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

"lança" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,380 in our Portuguese list, against #35,214 for "larva". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering lança vs larva

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 “lança” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable