loadedvslodeTell them apart

Quick tell: loaded is a verb, lode is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“loaded” is a verb and “lode” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,687
“loaded” frequency rank
#41,231
“lode” frequency rank
45918
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loaded lode
Definition simple past and past participle of load A way or path; a road.

Where the eye mixes loaded and lode

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
loaded
4 ch
lode

Why the eye confuses loaded with lode

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: loaded is /ˈləʊ.dəd/ while lode is /ləʊd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45918, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loaded is recorded at frequency rank #4,687, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈləʊ.dəd/. lode is at rank #41,231, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ləʊd/.

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 45918, this pair ranks #216,704 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of loaded vs lode

Shared letters: delo. Private to "loaded": a. Private to "lode": -.

"loaded" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "lode" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • loadedlaoded · lloaded · loadde · loadded · loadedd · loaedd · lodaed · oladed
  • lodeldoe · llode · lodde

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "loaded" and "lode" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "loaded" is a verb and "lode" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "loaded" or "lode"?
"loaded" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,687 in our English list, against #41,231 for "lode". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "loaded" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lode" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #216,704 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "loaded" and "lode" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lode vs lope". 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 #216,704 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list