lockevslockernWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“locke” and “lockern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#20,327
“locke” frequency rank
#23,223
“lockern” frequency rank
43550
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature locke lockern
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs locken locker machen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
locke
7 ch
lockern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. locke ([ˈlɔkə]) and lockern ([ˈlɔkɐn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “locke” sits inside “lockern”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43550, 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]. lockern is at rank #23,223, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔkɐn].

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 43550, this pair ranks #1,414,583 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of locke vs lockern

Shared letters: ceklo. Private to "locke": -. Private to "lockern": nr.

"locke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "lockern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lockelcoke · llocke · loccke · locek · lockke · lokce · olcke
  • lockernlcokern · llockern · locckern · locekrn · lockenr · lockernn · lockerrn · lockkern

Frequency comparison

locke#20,327
lockern#23,223

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "locke" and "lockern" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɔkə] versus [ˈlɔkɐn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "locke" or "lockern"?
"locke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,327 in our German list, against #23,223 for "lockern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering locke vs lockern

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 “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