lemavslepraWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,042
“lema” frequency rank
#38,788
“lepra” frequency rank
45830
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lema lepra
Definition ideia expressa por uma frase que serve de guia ou de motivação para uma pessoa, grupo, seita, país ou nação na Antiguidade, designação de diversas doenças de pele, especialmente as de caráter crônico ou contagioso

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
lema
5 ch
lepra

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

lema and lepra are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45830, 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/. lepra is at rank #38,788, tagged as anoun.

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 45830, this pair ranks #19,561 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lema vs lepra

Shared letters: ael. Private to "lema": m. Private to "lepra": pr.

"lema" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "lepra" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lemaelma · leam · lemma · llema · lmea
  • lepraelpra · lepar · leppra · leprra · lerpa · llepra · lpera

Frequency comparison

lema#7,042
lepra#38,788

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lema" and "lepra" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "lema" or "lepra"?
"lema" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,042 in our Portuguese list, against #38,788 for "lepra". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lema vs lepra

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 “lema” 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