Which to use
“allot” and “allow” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,314
- “allot” frequency rank
- #1,039
- “allow” frequency rank
- 38353
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | allot | allow |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To distribute or apportion by (or as if by) lot. | To let one have as a suitable share of something. |
Where the eye mixes allot and allow
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between allot and allow
A purely visual mix-up. allot (/əˈlɒt/) and allow (/əˈlaʊ/) 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 a single letter - t in “allot” becomes w in “allow”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38353, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
allot is recorded at frequency rank #37,314, classified as averb, pronounced /əˈlɒt/. allow is at rank #1,039, tagged as averb, pronounced /əˈlaʊ/.
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 38353, this pair ranks #286,635 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of allot vs allow
Shared letters: alo. Private to "allot": t. Private to "allow": w.
"allot" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "allow" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "allot" and "allow" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "allot" vs "allow" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "allot" and "allow" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "allot" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "allow" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #286,635 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "allot" and "allow" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "algo vs allot". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #286,635 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.