Which to use
“lema” and “lenha” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,042
- “lema” frequency rank
- #10,743
- “lenha” frequency rank
- 17785
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lema | lenha |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ideia expressa por uma frase que serve de guia ou de motivação para uma pessoa, grupo, seita, país ou nação | qualquer pedaço de madeira utilizado como combustível |
Where the eye mixes lema and lenha
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. lema runs 4 letters (CVCV) against lenha's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between lema and lenha
A purely visual mix-up. lema (/ˈle.mɐ/) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17785, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lema is recorded at frequency rank #7,042, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈle.mɐ/. 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 17785, this pair ranks #53,366 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lema vs lenha
Shared letters: ael. Private to "lema": m. Private to "lenha": hn.
"lema" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "lenha" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lema" and "lenha" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lema" vs "lenha" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lema" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lenha" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #53,366 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lema" and "lenha" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lengua vs lenha". 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 #53,366 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.