Which to use
“lust” and “lux” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,882
- “lust” frequency rank
- #18,878
- “lux” frequency rank
- 29760
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lust | lux |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal. | In the International System of Units, the derived unit of illuminance or illumination; one lumen per square metre. Symbol: lx |
Where the eye mixes lust and lux
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lust with lux
A purely visual mix-up. lust (/ˈlʌst/) and lux (/lʌks/) 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 29760, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lust is recorded at frequency rank #10,882, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlʌst/. lux is at rank #18,878, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lʌks/.
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 29760, this pair ranks #360,270 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lust vs lux
Shared letters: lu. Private to "lust": st. Private to "lux": x.
"lust" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lux" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lust ← llust · lusst · lustt · luts · ulst
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lust" and "lux" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lust" or "lux"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lust" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lux" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #360,270 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lust" and "lux" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "LSC vs lux". 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 #360,270 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.