Which to use
“lock” and “loy” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,954
- “lock” frequency rank
- #45,491
- “loy” frequency rank
- 48445
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lock | loy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Something used for fastening, which can only be opened with a key or combination. | A type of one-eared spade used in Ireland. |
Where the eye mixes lock and loy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lock with loy
A purely visual mix-up. lock (/lɒk/) and loy (/lɔɪ/) 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 48445, 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/. loy is at rank #45,491, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɔɪ/.
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 48445, this pair ranks #192,993 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lock vs loy
Shared letters: lo. Private to "lock": ck. Private to "loy": y.
"lock" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "loy" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- lock ← lcok · llock · locck · lockk · lokc · olck
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lock" for "loy" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lock" vs "loy" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lock" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "loy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #192,993 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lock" and "loy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "loy 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 #192,993 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.