Which to use
“lesma” and “lhama” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,714
- “lesma” frequency rank
- #42,084
- “lhama” frequency rank
- 81798
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lesma | lhama |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nome vulgar dos moluscos pulmonados da família dos Limacídeos (mais particularmente os do género Limax Cuvier) | mamífero ruminante andino, de pescoço longo e pelo lanoso, parente do camelo, conhecido por cuspir quando é desagradado e pela sua lã; o mesmo que lama |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lesma and lhama apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. lesma (/ˈleʒ.mɐ/) and lhama (/ˈʎɐ̃.ma/) 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 81798, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lesma is recorded at frequency rank #39,714, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈleʒ.mɐ/. lhama is at rank #42,084, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈʎɐ̃.ma/.
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 81798, this pair ranks #1,113 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lesma vs lhama
Shared letters: alm. Private to "lesma": es. Private to "lhama": h.
"lesma" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "lhama" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lesma" and "lhama" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lesma" or "lhama"?
Remembering lesma vs lhama
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 “lesma” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable