Which to use
“lo” is an intj and “lye” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,373
- “lo” frequency rank
- #40,787
- “lye” frequency rank
- 47160
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lo | lye |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | look, see, behold (in an imperative sense). | An alkaline liquid made by leaching ashes (usually wood ashes). |
Where the eye mixes lo and lye
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lo vs lye
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lo is /ləʊ/ while lye is /laɪ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47160, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lo is recorded at frequency rank #6,373, classified as anintj, pronounced /ləʊ/. lye is at rank #40,787, tagged as anoun, pronounced /laɪ/.
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 47160, this pair ranks #205,012 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lo vs lye
Shared letters: l. Private to "lo": o. Private to "lye": ey.
"lo" · 2 letters · shape CV · "lye" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lo" for "lye" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lo" vs "lye" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lye" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #205,012 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lo" and "lye" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "LSC vs lye". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #205,012 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.