loath vs Loh, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#43,241
“loath” frequency rank: #47,164
“Loh” frequency rank: 90405
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	loath	Loh
Definition	Averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling. Always followed by a verbal phrase.	A surname.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set loath and Loh apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch

loath

3 ch

Loh

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: loath is anadjective and Lohaname. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 90405, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loath is recorded at frequency rank #43,241, classified as anadj, pronounced /ləʊθ/. 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 90405, this pair ranks #4,238 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of loath vs Loh

Shared letters: hlo. Private to "loath": at. Private to "Loh": -.

"loath" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "Loh" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

loath ← laoth · lloath · loaht · loathh · loatth · lotah · olath

Frequency comparison

loath#43,241

Loh#47,164

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loath" and "Loh" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "loath" is an adjective and "Loh" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "loath" or "Loh"?

"loath" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #43,241 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 loath vs Loh

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “loath”; for a name, it's “Loh”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “loath” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable