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 eye mixes lança and larva
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. lança and larva follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses lança with larva
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lança" and "larva" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lança" vs "larva" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lança" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "larva" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #28,986 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lança" and "larva" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "laca vs larva". 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 #28,986 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.