Which to use
“lie” and “lince” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,038
- “lie” frequency rank
- #40,653
- “lince” frequency rank
- 71691
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lie | lince |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mentira | designação comum a três espécies de mamíferos do gênero Felis, da família dos felídeos, com cauda curta ou muito curta e tufos de pelos nas orelhas |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lie and lince 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. lie (/ˈlaɪ/) and lince (/ˈlĩ.sɨ/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71691, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lie is recorded at frequency rank #31,038, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlaɪ/. lince is at rank #40,653, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlĩ.sɨ/.
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 71691, this pair ranks #3,266 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lie vs lince
Shared letters: eil. Private to "lie": -. Private to "lince": cn.
"lie" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "lince" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- lince ← ilnce · licne · lincce · linec · linnce · llince · lnice
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lie" and "lince" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lie" or "lince"?
Remembering lie vs lince
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 “lie” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable