Which to use
“locks” and “locum” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,810
- “locks” frequency rank
- #47,732
- “locum” frequency rank
- 55542
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | locks | locum |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of lock | Ellipsis of locum tenens. |
Where the eye mixes locks and locum
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: locks vs locum
A purely visual mix-up. locks (/lɒks/) and locum (/ˈləʊkəm/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55542, 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/. locum is at rank #47,732, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈləʊkəm/.
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 55542, this pair ranks #132,843 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of locks vs locum
Shared letters: clo. Private to "locks": ks. Private to "locum": mu.
"locks" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "locum" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "locks" and "locum" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "locks" or "locum"?
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 "locks" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "locum" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #132,843 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "locks" and "locum" 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 #132,843 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.