Which to use
“unblock” and “unlock” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,943
- “unblock” frequency rank
- #8,374
- “unlock” frequency rank
- 49317
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unblock | unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To remove or clear a block or obstruction from. | To undo or open a lock or something locked by, for example, turning a key, or selecting a combination. |
Where the eye mixes unblock and unlock
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. unblock runs 7 letters (VCCCVCC) against unlock's 6 (VCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: unblock vs unlock
A purely visual mix-up. unblock (/ʌnˈblɒk/) and unlock (/ʌnˈlɒk/) 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 49317, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unblock is recorded at frequency rank #40,943, classified as averb, pronounced /ʌnˈblɒk/. unlock is at rank #8,374, tagged as averb, pronounced /ʌnˈlɒk/.
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 49317, this pair ranks #184,800 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unblock vs unlock
Shared letters: cklnou. Private to "unblock": b. Private to "unlock": -.
"unblock" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC · "unlock" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "unblock" and "unlock" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "unblock" or "unlock"?
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 "unblock" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unlock" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #184,800 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unblock" and "unlock" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unblock vs unblocked". 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 #184,800 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.