lochvslogWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“loch” and “log” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#16,064
“loch” frequency rank
#3,826
“log” frequency rank
19890
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loch log
Definition A lake. The trunk of a dead tree, cleared of branches.

Where the eye mixes loch and log

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
loch
3 ch
log

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. loch (/lɔx/) and log (/lɒɡ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19890, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loch is recorded at frequency rank #16,064, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɔx/. log is at rank #3,826, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɒɡ/.

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 19890, this pair ranks #434,999 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of loch vs log

Shared letters: lo. Private to "loch": ch. Private to "log": g.

"loch" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "log" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lochlcoh · lloch · locch · lochh · lohc · olch

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loch" and "log" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/lɔx/ versus /lɒɡ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "loch" or "log"?
"log" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,826 in our English list, against #16,064 for "loch". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list