Which to use
“allot” and “allows” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,314
- “allot” frequency rank
- #2,142
- “allows” frequency rank
- 39456
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | allot | allows |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To distribute or apportion by (or as if by) lot. | third-person singular simple present indicative of allow |
Where the eye mixes allot and allows
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: allot vs allows
A purely visual mix-up. allot (/əˈlɒt/) and allows (/əˈlaʊz/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39456, 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/. allows is at rank #2,142, tagged as averb, pronounced /əˈlaʊz/.
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 39456, this pair ranks #276,528 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of allot vs allows
Shared letters: alo. Private to "allot": t. Private to "allows": sw.
"allot" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "allows" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "allot" and "allows" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "allot" or "allows" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "allot" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "allows" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,528 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "allot" and "allows" 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 #276,528 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.