lançavslenhaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,380
“lança” frequency rank
#10,743
“lenha” frequency rank
13123
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lança lenha
Definition uma arma longa para ser arremessada, que consiste de uma haste de madeira à qual é ligada uma ponta de metal qualquer pedaço de madeira utilizado como combustível

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
lança
5 ch
lenha

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lança (/ˈlɐ̃.sɐ/) and lenha (/ˈlɐj.ɲɐ/) 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 13123, 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/. lenha is at rank #10,743, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɐj.ɲɐ/.

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 13123, this pair ranks #59,325 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lança vs lenha

Shared letters: aln. Private to "lança": ç. Private to "lenha": eh.

"lança" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "lenha" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lenhaelnha · lehna · lenah · lenhha · lennha · llenha · lneha

Frequency comparison

lança#2,380
lenha#10,743

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lança" and "lenha" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈlɐ̃.sɐ/ versus /ˈlɐj.ɲɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lança" or "lenha"?
"lança" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,380 in our Portuguese list, against #10,743 for "lenha". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lança vs lenha

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list