Which to use
“unlock” and “unpack” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,374
- “unlock” frequency rank
- #27,688
- “unpack” frequency rank
- 36062
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unlock | unpack |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To undo or open a lock or something locked by, for example, turning a key, or selecting a combination. | To remove from a package or container, particularly with respect to items that had previously been arranged closely and securely in a pack. |
Where the eye mixes unlock and unpack
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. unlock and unpack follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses unlock with unpack
A purely visual mix-up. unlock (/ʌnˈlɒk/) and unpack (/ʌnˈpæk/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36062, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unlock is recorded at frequency rank #8,374, classified as averb, pronounced /ʌnˈlɒk/. unpack is at rank #27,688, tagged as averb, pronounced /ʌnˈpæk/.
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 36062, this pair ranks #306,501 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unlock vs unpack
Shared letters: cknu. Private to "unlock": lo. Private to "unpack": ap.
"unlock" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "unpack" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "unlock" for "unpack" ever safe?
Which is more common, "unlock" or "unpack"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "unlock" and "unpack" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "unlock" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unpack" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,501 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "unlock" and "unpack" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unpack vs unpacked". 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 #306,501 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.