lossvsloweWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“loss” and “lowe” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#907
“loss” frequency rank
#13,751
“lowe” frequency rank
14658
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loss lowe
Definition The result of no longer possessing an object, a function, or a characteristic due to external causes or misplacement. Alternative form of low ("flame").

Letter map: loss vs lowe

Shared letters muted; letters that set loss and lowe apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.

4 ch
loss
4 ch
lowe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

loss and lowe are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14658, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loss is recorded at frequency rank #907, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɒs/. lowe is at rank #13,751, tagged as anoun.

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 14658, this pair ranks #468,725 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of loss vs lowe

Shared letters: lo. Private to "loss": s. Private to "lowe": ew.

"loss" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "lowe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • losslloss · lsos · olss
  • lowellowe · lowwe · lwoe · olwe

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loss" and "lowe" be used interchangeably?
No. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "loss" or "lowe"?
"loss" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #907 in our English list, against #13,751 for "lowe". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list