Which to use
“outlaw” and “outlay” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,801
- “outlaw” frequency rank
- #35,861
- “outlay” frequency rank
- 50662
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | outlaw | outlay |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A fugitive from the law. | A laying out or expending; that which is laid out or expended. |
Where the eye mixes outlaw and outlay
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. outlaw (VVCCVC) and outlay (VVCCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses outlaw with outlay
A purely visual mix-up. outlaw (/ˈaʊt.lɔː/) and outlay (/ˈaʊtleɪ/) 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 a single letter - w in “outlaw” becomes y in “outlay”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50662, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
outlaw is recorded at frequency rank #14,801, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈaʊt.lɔː/. outlay is at rank #35,861, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈaʊtleɪ/.
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 50662, this pair ranks #172,238 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of outlaw vs outlay
Shared letters: alotu. Private to "outlaw": w. Private to "outlay": y.
"outlaw" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVC · "outlay" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "outlaw" for "outlay" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "outlaw" or "outlay" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "outlaw" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "outlay" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #172,238 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "outlaw" and "outlay" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "outlast vs outlay". 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 #172,238 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.