locus

/ˈləʊkəs/

//ˈləʊkəs// noun

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

"locus" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“locus” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,026. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,026
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A place or locality, especially a centre of activity or the scene of a crime.

Corpus desk

Index EN-locus · locus · English

locus · rank #23,026 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,026
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lucius

Nearest frequency peer: Lucius (+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 “locus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “locus” 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).

locus vs los
60% similar
locus vs Lou
40% similar
locus vs loss
60% similar

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

Key facts for locus
PropertyValue
Headwordlocus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈləʊkəs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#23,026
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “locus”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Lucius” (#23,027), “Lund” (#23,028), “Lennox” (#23,023). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “locus” is #23,026. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around locus (IPA /ˈləʊkəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,026 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for locus, with forms such as "lcous", "llocus", and "loccus". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "los", "Lou", "loss", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin locus. Doublet of lieu. The correct English form is locus, spelled L-O-C-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A place or locality, especially a centre of activity or the scene of a crime.
  2. 2
    The set of all points whose coordinates satisfy a given equation or condition.
  3. 3
    A fixed position on a string of DNA or RNA, especially a chromosome, that may be occupied by one or more genes.
  4. 4
    A passage in writing, especially in a collection of ancient sacred writings arranged according to a theme.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The cafeteria was the locus of activity.
  2. A circle is the locus of points from which the distance to the center is a given value, the radius.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin locus. Doublet of lieu.

This word in other languages

lugar(Español)lieu(Français)Ort(Deutsch)lugar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lcous
  • llocus
  • loccus
  • locsu
  • locuss
  • loucs
  • olcus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of locus - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

lcous2llocus1loccus1locsu2locuss1loucs2olcus2
Edit distance from "locus"

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 "locus"?
"locus" is spelled L-O-C-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈləʊkəs/.
What does "locus" mean?
As a noun, "locus" means: A place or locality, especially a centre of activity or the scene of a crime.
What words are commonly confused with "locus"?
"locus" is commonly confused with "los", "Lou", "loss". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "locus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "locus" is /ˈləʊkəs/. 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 "locus"?
Learned borrowing from Latin locus. Doublet of lieu. 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 "locus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Karim#23,017Meade#23,037Moors#23,044Ibiza#23,002

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Massey7 variantsplaya7 variantsfrees7 variantsfirth7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list