Which to use
“lure” is a noun and “lurk” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,738
- “lure” frequency rank
- #25,463
- “lurk” frequency rank
- 37201
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lure | lurk |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Something that tempts or attracts, especially one with a promise of reward or pleasure. | To remain concealed in order to ambush. |
Where the eye mixes lure and lurk
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lure with lurk
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lure is /lʊə/ while lurk is /lɜːk/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “lure” becomes k in “lurk”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37201, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lure is recorded at frequency rank #11,738, classified as anoun, pronounced /lʊə/. lurk is at rank #25,463, tagged as averb, pronounced /lɜːk/.
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 37201, this pair ranks #296,545 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lure vs lurk
Shared letters: lru. Private to "lure": e. Private to "lurk": k.
"lure" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "lurk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lure" for "lurk" ever safe?
Which is more common, "lure" or "lurk"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lure" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lurk" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #296,545 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lure" and "lurk" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lora vs lurk". 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 #296,545 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.