Which to use
“lock” and “locker” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,954
- “lock” frequency rank
- #7,711
- “locker” frequency rank
- 10665
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lock | locker |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination. | A type of storage compartment with a lock, usually used to store personal possessions for public use, such as in schools, railway stations, place of work, gyms, sports centers. |
Where the eye mixes lock and locker
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lock with locker
A purely visual mix-up. lock (/lɒk/) and locker (/ˈlɒk.ə(ɹ)/) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “lock” sits inside “locker”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10665, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lock is recorded at frequency rank #2,954, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɒk/. locker is at rank #7,711, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɒk.ə(ɹ)/.
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 10665, this pair ranks #491,163 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lock vs locker
Shared letters: cklo. Private to "lock": -. Private to "locker": er.
"lock" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "locker" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lock" and "locker" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lock" or "locker"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lock" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "locker" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #491,163 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lock" and "locker" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "locker vs lockup". 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 #491,163 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.