Which to use
“len” is an adverb and “luz” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30,622
- “len” frequency rank
- #604
- “luz” frequency rank
- 31226
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | len | luz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | só, apenas, somente | única radiação captada pelo olho humano |
Where the eye mixes len and luz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses len with luz
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: len is /ʎen/ while luz is /ˈluʃ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31226, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
len is recorded at frequency rank #30,622, classified as anadv, pronounced /ʎen/. luz is at rank #604, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈluʃ/.
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 31226, this pair ranks #36,927 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of len vs luz
Shared letters: l. Private to "len": en. Private to "luz": uz.
"len" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "luz" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "len" for "luz" ever safe?
Frequency check: "len" vs "luz" - 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 "len" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "luz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #36,927 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "len" and "luz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Leben vs len". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #36,927 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.