Which to use
“loathe” and “locate” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,122
- “loathe” frequency rank
- #7,809
- “locate” frequency rank
- 32931
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | loathe | locate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To detest, hate, or revile (someone or something). | To place; to set in a particular spot or position. |
Where the eye mixes loathe and locate
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. loathe (CVVCCV) and locate (CVCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses loathe with locate
A purely visual mix-up. loathe (/ˈləʊð/) and locate (/lə(ʊ)ˈkeɪt/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32931, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
loathe is recorded at frequency rank #25,122, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈləʊð/. locate is at rank #7,809, tagged as averb, pronounced /lə(ʊ)ˈkeɪt/.
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 32931, this pair ranks #333,693 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of loathe vs locate
Shared letters: aelot. Private to "loathe": h. Private to "locate": c.
"loathe" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "locate" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "loathe" and "locate" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "loathe" vs "locate" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "loathe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "locate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #333,693 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "loathe" and "locate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "loath vs loathe". 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 #333,693 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.