lotionvslottoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,066
“lotion” frequency rank
#21,568
“lotto” frequency rank
37634
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lotion lotto
Definition A low- to medium-viscosity topical preparation intended for application to unbroken skin. a game of chance similar to bingo

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lotion and lotto apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
lotion
5 ch
lotto

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lotion (/ˈloʊʃən/) and lotto (/ˈlɔtəʉ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37634, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lotion is recorded at frequency rank #16,066, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈloʊʃən/. lotto is at rank #21,568, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɔtəʉ/.

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 37634, this pair ranks #292,908 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lotion vs lotto

Shared letters: lot. Private to "lotion": in. Private to "lotto": -.

"lotion" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "lotto" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lotionllotion · loiton · losion · lotino · lotionn · lotoin · lottion · ltoion
  • lottollotto · lotot · ltoto · oltto

Frequency comparison

lotion#16,066
lotto#21,568

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lotion" and "lotto" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈloʊʃən/ versus /ˈlɔtəʉ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lotion" or "lotto"?
"lotion" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,066 in our English list, against #21,568 for "lotto". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lotion vs lotto

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lotion” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list