Which to use
“lode” is a noun and “low” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #41,231
- “lode” frequency rank
- #468
- “low” frequency rank
- 41699
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lode | low |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A way or path; a road. | Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty. |
Where the eye mixes lode and low
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lode with low
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lode is /ləʊd/ while low is /ˈləʊ/. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41699, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lode is recorded at frequency rank #41,231, classified as anoun, pronounced /ləʊd/. low is at rank #468, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈləʊ/.
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 41699, this pair ranks #255,906 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lode vs low
Shared letters: lo. Private to "lode": de. Private to "low": w.
"lode" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "low" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lode ← ldoe · llode · lodde
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lode" for "low" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "lode" or "low" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lode" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "low" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #255,906 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lode" and "low" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lode vs lope". 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 #255,906 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.