lob

/lɒb/

//lɒb// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"lob" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lob” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #29,722) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#29,722
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To throw or hit a ball into the air in a high arc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lob · lob · English

lob · rank #29,722 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,722
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lille

Nearest frequency peer: Lille (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “lob”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “lob” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

lob vs Lt
0% similar
lob vs LP
0% similar
lob vs Ls
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for lob
PropertyValue
Headwordlob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/lɒb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#29,722
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “lob”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).loblands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Lille” (#29,721), “ley” (#29,720), “locale” (#29,724). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lob” is #29,722. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for lob is neighbouring look-alikes ("Lt", "LP", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /lɒb/. Frequency #29,722 among 2,297 “L” headwords. 6 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for lob, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Lt", "LP", "Ls", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested late 16th c. in the sense "allow or cause to dangle, hang," from sense 2. The correct English form is lob, spelled L-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    To throw or hit a ball into the air in a high arc.
  2. 2
    To throw.
  3. 3
    To put, place.
  4. 4
    To hit, kick, or throw a ball over another player in a game.
  5. 5
    To let fall heavily or lazily.
  6. 6
    To reach or arrive at (a place).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how lob appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The guard lobbed a pass just over the defender.
  2. The tennis player lobbed the ball, which was a costly mistake.

Etymology

First attested late 16th c. in the sense "allow or cause to dangle, hang," from sense 2.

This word in other languages

lobber(Français)lupfen(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lob"?
"lob" is spelled L-O-B. The IPA pronunciation is /lɒb/.
What does "lob" mean?
As a verb, "lob" means: To throw or hit a ball into the air in a high arc.
What words are commonly confused with "lob"?
"lob" is commonly confused with "Lt", "LP", "Ls". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lob"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lob" is /lɒb/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "lob"?
First attested late 16th c. in the sense "allow or cause to dangle, hang," from sense 2. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "lob", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ley#29,720MCU#29,734MI6#29,741moa#29,747

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list