lápisvslatirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,496
“lápis” frequency rank
#38,344
“latir” frequency rank
46840
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lápis latir
Definition cilindro fino de material apropriado, geralmente grafite, envolvido por uma menos fina tora de madeira usado para escrever, desenhar ou pintar: o mesmo que latido

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lápis and latir apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
lápis
5 ch
latir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lápis (/ˈla.piⁱʃ/) and latir (/lɐ.ˈtiɾ/) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46840, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lápis is recorded at frequency rank #8,496, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈla.piⁱʃ/. latir is at rank #38,344, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɐ.ˈtiɾ/.

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 46840, this pair ranks #18,467 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lápis vs latir

Shared letters: il. Private to "lápis": psá. Private to "latir": art.

"lápis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "latir" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • latiraltir · laitr · latirr · latri · lattir · llatir · ltair

Frequency comparison

lápis#8,496
latir#38,344

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lápis" and "latir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈla.piⁱʃ/ versus /lɐ.ˈtiɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lápis" or "latir"?
"lápis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,496 in our Portuguese list, against #38,344 for "latir". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lápis vs latir

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 “lápis” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list