largervslodgerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: larger is a adjective, lodger is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“larger” is an adjective and “lodger” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,605
“larger” frequency rank
#48,331
“lodger” frequency rank
49936
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature larger lodger
Definition comparative form of large: more large A person who lodges in another's house (compare tenant).

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
larger
6 ch
lodger

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: larger is /ˈlɑɹ.d͡ʒɚ/ while lodger is /ˈlɑd͡ʒɚ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49936, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

larger is recorded at frequency rank #1,605, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈlɑɹ.d͡ʒɚ/. lodger is at rank #48,331, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɑd͡ʒɚ/.

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 49936, this pair ranks #178,891 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of larger vs lodger

Shared letters: eglr. Private to "larger": a. Private to "lodger": do.

"larger" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "lodger" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • largeralrger · lagrer · laregr · largerr · largger · largre · larrger · llarger
  • lodgerldoger · llodger · loddger · lodegr · lodgerr · lodgger · lodgre · logder

Frequency comparison

larger#1,605
lodger#48,331

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "larger" and "lodger" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "larger" is an adjective and "lodger" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "larger" or "lodger"?
"larger" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,605 in our English list, against #48,331 for "lodger". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering larger vs lodger

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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