lackeyvslocketWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“lackey” and “locket” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#34,153
“lackey” frequency rank
#33,714
“locket” frequency rank
67867
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lackey locket
Definition A footman, a liveried male servant. A pendant that opens to reveal a space used for storing a photograph or other small item.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lackey and locket apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
lackey
6 ch
locket

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lackey (/ˈlæ.ki/) and locket (/ˈlɒkɪt/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67867, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lackey is recorded at frequency rank #34,153, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlæ.ki/. locket is at rank #33,714, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɒkɪt/.

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 67867, this pair ranks #61,433 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lackey vs locket

Shared letters: cekl. Private to "lackey": ay. Private to "locket": ot.

"lackey" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV  ·  "locket" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lackeyalckey · lacckey · laceky · lackeyy · lackkey · lackye · lakcey · lcakey
  • locketlcoket · llocket · loccket · locekt · lockket · lockte · lokcet · olcket

Frequency comparison

lackey#34,153
locket#33,714

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lackey" and "locket" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈlæ.ki/ versus /ˈlɒkɪt/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lackey" or "locket"?
"locket" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,714 in our English list, against #34,153 for "lackey". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lackey vs locket

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 “lackey” 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