loavsLohWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: loa is a noun, Loh is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“loa” is a noun and “Loh” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,899
“loa” frequency rank
#47,164
“Loh” frequency rank
80063
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loa Loh
Definition In the voodoo religion, a spirit intermediary between Bondye (the creator god) and human beings. A surname.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set loa and Loh apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
loa
3 ch
Loh

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: loa is anoun and Lohaname. On the page they differ by a single letter - a in “loa” becomes h in “Loh”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80063, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loa is recorded at frequency rank #32,899, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈləʊ̯ə/. Loh is at rank #47,164, tagged as aname.

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 80063, this pair ranks #20,639 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of loa vs Loh

Shared letters: lo. Private to "loa": a. Private to "Loh": h.

"loa" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "Loh" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

loa#32,899
Loh#47,164

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loa" and "Loh" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "loa" is a noun and "Loh" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "loa" or "Loh"?
"loa" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,899 in our English list, against #47,164 for "Loh". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering loa vs Loh

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “loa”; for a name, it's “Loh”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “loa” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list