lockout

noun

"lockout" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lockout” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,499. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,499
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The opposite of a strike; a labor disruption where management refuses to allow workers into a plant to work even if they are willing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lockout · lockout · English

lockout · rank #24,499 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,499
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lube

Nearest frequency peer: lube (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “lockout”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “lockout” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

lockout vs lockup
71% similar
lockout vs lookout
86% similar
lockout vs locket
71% similar

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

Key facts for lockout
PropertyValue
Headwordlockout
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#24,499
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lockout”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).lockoutlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “lube” (#24,500), “lids” (#24,497), “Luton” (#24,501). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lockout” is #24,499. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around lockout, anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,499 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for lockout, with forms such as "lcokout", "llockout", and "locckout". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "lockup", "lookout", "locket", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from lock out. The correct English form is lockout, spelled L-O-C-K-O-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The opposite of a strike; a labor disruption where management refuses to allow workers into a plant to work even if they are willing.
  2. 2
    The action of installing a lock to keep someone out of an area, such as eviction of a tenant by changing the lock.
  3. 3
    The exclusion of certain people from a place, event, situation, etc.
  4. 4
    The restriction of a population to a certain area, but allowing free movement within that region, in order to prevent the spread of disease. Compare lockdown.
  5. 5
    The situation of being locked out of a building.
  6. 6
    A situation where the system is not responding to input.
  7. 7
    A safety device designed to prevent touching a moving part when it is under operation; a safety device to keep the power supply turned off during repairs; the standardized practice and method whereby such devices are deployed.
  8. 8
    The final portion of a weightlifting motion where all applicable limbs or joints are fully extended or "locked out".
  9. 9
    An exercise meant to increase strength in the lockout portion of a lifting motion.
  10. 10
    A form of vote splitting in a two-round voting system which a large number of candidates with similar politics prevent each other from advancing to the second round, allowing a pair of opposition candidates to face each other in the runoff.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The first was in the Babylonian halls of the big hotel, which was the meeting place of the three commercial magnates concerned with arranging for a coal lock-out and denouncing it as a coal strike, the second was in a curious tavern, having the façade of a grocery store, where met the more subterranean triumvirate of those who would have been very glad to…
  2. It's another front-row lockout for Mercedes on the starting grid of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Etymology

Deverbal from lock out.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lcokout
  • llockout
  • locckout
  • lockkout
  • lockotu
  • lockoutt
  • lockuot
  • locokut
  • lokcout
  • olckout

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lockout - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

lcokout2llockout1locckout1lockkout1lockotu2lockoutt1lockuot2locokut2
Edit distance from "lockout"

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 "lockout"?
"lockout" is spelled L-O-C-K-O-U-T.
What does "lockout" mean?
As a noun, "lockout" means: The opposite of a strike; a labor disruption where management refuses to allow workers into a plant to work even if they are willing.
What words are commonly confused with "lockout"?
"lockout" is commonly confused with "lockup", "lookout", "locket". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "lockout"?
Deverbal from lock out. 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 "lockout", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list