Which to use
“locks” is a noun and “loco” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,810
- “locks” frequency rank
- #22,141
- “loco” frequency rank
- 29951
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | locks | loco |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of lock | A direction in written or printed music to be returning to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher or lower. |
Where the eye mixes locks and loco
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses locks with loco
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: locks is /lɒks/ while loco is /ˈləʊ.kəʊ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29951, 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/. loco is at rank #22,141, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈləʊ.kəʊ/.
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 29951, this pair ranks #358,650 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of locks vs loco
Shared letters: clo. Private to "locks": ks. Private to "loco": -.
"locks" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "loco" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "locks" for "loco" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "locks" or "loco" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "locks" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "loco" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #358,650 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "locks" and "loco" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "loco 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 #358,650 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.