# locomotion vs locomotive

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### locomotion
*noun · IPA /ləʊ.kəˈməʊ.ʃən/ · frequency rank #33,715*
The ability to move from place to place, or the act of doing so.

### locomotive
*noun · IPA /ˌləʊkəˈməʊtɪv/ · frequency rank #14,988*
The power unit of a train that pulls the coaches or wagons.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/locomotion-vs-locomotive