Which to use
“loci” and “locks” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,545
- “loci” frequency rank
- #7,810
- “locks” frequency rank
- 45355
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | loci | locks |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of locus | plural of lock |
Where the eye mixes loci and locks
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses loci with locks
A purely visual mix-up. loci (/ˈləʊsaɪ/) and locks (/lɒks/) 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 45355, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
loci is recorded at frequency rank #37,545, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈləʊsaɪ/. locks is at rank #7,810, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɒks/.
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 45355, this pair ranks #222,024 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of loci vs locks
Shared letters: clo. Private to "loci": i. Private to "locks": ks.
"loci" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "locks" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "loci" and "locks" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "loci" vs "locks" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "loci" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "locks" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #222,024 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "loci" and "locks" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "loci vs LSC". 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 #222,024 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.