look

/lʊk/

//lʊk// verb

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

"look" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“look” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #151. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#151
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-look · look · English

look · rank #151 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #151
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH long

Nearest frequency peer: long (-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 “look”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “look” 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).

look vs lot
50% similar
look vs low
50% similar
look vs los
50% similar

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

Key facts for look
PropertyValue
Headwordlook
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/lʊk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#151
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “look”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).looklands 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 “long” (#150), “something” (#152), “home” (#149). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “look” is #151. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around look (IPA /lʊk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #151 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for look, with forms such as "llook", "lok", and "loko". 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, "lot", "low", "los", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English loken, lokien, from Old English lōcian, from Proto-West Germanic *lōkōn. Further origin unknown, no certain cognates outside Germanic. Cognate with Scots luke, luik, leuk (“to look, see”), West Frisian lôkje, loaitsje (“to look”), Dutch … The correct English form is look, spelled L-O-O-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes.
  2. 2
    To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes.
  3. 3
    To appear, to seem.
  4. 4
    To give an appearance of being.
  5. 5
    To search for, to try to find.
  6. 6
    To face or present a view.
  7. 7
    To expect or anticipate.
  8. 8
    To express or manifest by a look.
  9. 9
    To make sure of, to see to.
  10. 10
    To show oneself in looking.
  11. 11
    To check, to make sure (of something).
  12. 12
    To look at; to turn the eyes toward.
  13. 13
    To seek; to search for.
  14. 14
    To influence, overawe, or subdue by looks or presence.
  15. 15
    To look at a pitch as a batter without swinging at it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They kept looking at me.
  2. Don’t look in the closet.

Etymology

From Middle English loken, lokien, from Old English lōcian, from Proto-West Germanic *lōkōn. Further origin unknown, no certain cognates outside Germanic. Cognate with Scots luke, luik, leuk (“to look, see”), West Frisian lôkje, loaitsje (“to look”), Dutch loeken (“to look”), German Low German löken. Likely also related to German lugen (“to peek”), Alemannic German luege (“to look”), Yiddish לוגן (lugn). Possibly related to Sanskrit लोक् (lok, “to see, behold”) (from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“light”) in the sense of "illuminating" (cf. related word रुच् (ruc) "to shine, illuminate")).

Synonyms

beholdclocklookgeekkoolregardsquizztake a butcher'stake a dekkotake a gandervadaviddyview

This word in other languages

mirar(Español)regarder(Français)sehen(Deutsch)olhar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • llook
  • lok
  • loko
  • lookk
  • olok

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of look - 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.

llook1lok1loko2lookk1olok2
Edit distance from "look"

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 "look"?
"look" is spelled L-O-O-K. The IPA pronunciation is /lʊk/.
What does "look" mean?
As a verb, "look" means: To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes.
What words are commonly confused with "look"?
"look" is commonly confused with "lot", "low", "los". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "look"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "look" is /lʊk/. 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 "look"?
From Middle English loken, lokien, from Old English lōcian, from Proto-West Germanic *lōkōn. Further origin unknown, no certain cognates outside Germanic. Cognate with Scots luke, luik, leuk (“to look, see”), West Frisian lôkje, loaitsje (“to look... 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 "look", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

long#150home#149love#147same#155

Similar misspelling depth

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

best5 variantslast5 variantscome5 variantspart5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list