lockevslockerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: locke is a verb, locker is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“locke” is a verb and “locker” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,327
“locke” frequency rank
#2,909
“locker” frequency rank
23236
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature locke locker
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs locken durchlässig, nicht dicht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set locke and locker apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
locke
6 ch
locker

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: locke is [ˈlɔkə] while locker is [ˈlɔkɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “locke” sits inside “locker”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23236, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

locke is recorded at frequency rank #20,327, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔkə]. locker is at rank #2,909, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɔkɐ].

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 23236, this pair ranks #1,863,947 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of locke vs locker

Shared letters: ceklo. Private to "locke": -. Private to "locker": r.

"locke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "locker" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lockelcoke · llocke · loccke · locek · lockke · lokce · olcke
  • lockerlcoker · llocker · loccker · locekr · lockerr · lockker · lockre · lokcer

Frequency comparison

locke#20,327
locker#2,909

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "locke" and "locker" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "locke" is a verb and "locker" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "locke" or "locker"?
"locker" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,909 in our German list, against #20,327 for "locke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering locke vs locker

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “locke”; for an adjective, it's “locker”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “locke” 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