Which to use
“loss” is a noun and “low” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #907
- “loss” frequency rank
- #468
- “low” frequency rank
- 1375
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | loss | low |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The result of no longer possessing an object, a function, or a characteristic due to external causes or misplacement. | Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty. |
Where the eye mixes loss and low
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: loss is /lɒs/ 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 1375, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
loss is recorded at frequency rank #907, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɒs/. 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 1375, this pair ranks #527,566 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of loss vs low
Shared letters: lo. Private to "loss": s. Private to "low": w.
"loss" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "low" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- loss ← lloss · lsos · olss