Which to use
“locks” and “lockup” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,810
- “locks” frequency rank
- #49,465
- “lockup” frequency rank
- 57275
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | locks | lockup |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of lock | A jail cell; a period of incarceration in such a cell; a facility containing such cells. |
Letter map: locks vs lockup
Shared letters muted; letters that set locks and lockup apart highlighted. Shared run: 4.
Spelling & dictionary notes on locks vs lockup
locks and lockup are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57275, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
locks is recorded at frequency rank #7,810, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɒks/. lockup is at rank #49,465, tagged as anoun.
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 57275, this pair ranks #120,443 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of locks vs lockup
Shared letters: cklo. Private to "locks": s. Private to "lockup": pu.
"locks" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "lockup" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "locks" for "lockup" ever safe?
Which is more common, "locks" or "lockup"?
After this comparison
You've compared "locks" and "lockup". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "locks" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lockup" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #120,443 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "locks" and "lockup" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lockup vs locum". 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 #120,443 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.