lama vs llama

Side by side

lama or llama?

What is the difference between lama and llama?

lama means "a Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism". llama means "wild or domesticated South American cud-chewing animal related to camels but smaller and lacking a hump". They are pronounced identically — /ˈlɑmə/ — so only the spelling and the meaning separate them.

Which is more common, lama or llama?

Neither is markedly more common — both sit in the "Familiar" band.

Are lama and llama pronounced the same?

Yes. Both are /ˈlɑmə/, said LAH-muh. Words that sound alike and are spelled differently are homophones, and they are the commonest source of written mix-ups in English.

Can lama and llama be used in the same place in a sentence?

Both work as nouns, so they are grammatically interchangeable. That is exactly what makes the meaning difference worth checking.

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