Which to use
“lock” and “lox” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,954
- “lock” frequency rank
- #44,312
- “lox” frequency rank
- 47266
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lock | lox |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination. | Salmon that is cured in brine and then smoked at a low temperature so that the flesh remains uncooked. |
Where the eye mixes lock and lox
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lock with lox
A purely visual mix-up. lock (/lɒk/) and lox (/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 47266, 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/. lox is at rank #44,312, 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 47266, this pair ranks #204,028 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lock vs lox
Shared letters: lo. Private to "lock": ck. Private to "lox": x.
"lock" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lox" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lock ← lcok · llock · locck · lockk · lokc · olck
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lock" for "lox" ever safe?
Which is more common, "lock" or "lox"?
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 "lox" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #204,028 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lock" and "lox" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lox 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 #204,028 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.