lançavslinhaConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#2,380
“lança” frequency rank
#582
“linha” frequency rank
2962
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lança linha
Definition uma arma longa para ser arremessada, que consiste de uma haste de madeira à qual é ligada uma ponta de metal o que tem comprimento sem largura

Where the eye mixes lança and linha

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
lança
5 ch
linha

Why the eye confuses lança with linha

A purely visual mix-up. lança (/ˈlɐ̃.sɐ/) and linha (/ˈli.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 2962, 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/. linha is at rank #582, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈli.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 2962, this pair ranks #72,254 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lança vs linha

Shared letters: aln. Private to "lança": ç. Private to "linha": hi.

"lança" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "linha" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • linhailnha · lihna · linah · linhha · linnha · llinha · lniha

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lança" and "linha" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈlɐ̃.sɐ/ versus /ˈli.ɲɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "lança" or "linha" show up more?
"linha" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #582 in our Portuguese list, against #2,380 for "lança". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lança" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "linha" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #72,254 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lança" and "linha" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lança 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 #72,254 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list