# loam vs lock

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### loam
*noun · IPA /ləʊm/ · frequency rank #46,031*
A type of soil; an earthy mixture of sand, silt and clay, with organic matter to which its fertility is chiefly due.

### lock
*noun · IPA /lɒk/ · frequency rank #2,954*
Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loam-vs-lock