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” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #151 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#151
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes.

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)

Where “look” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for look is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /lʊk/. Corpus data places it at rank #151 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “look”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is L-O-O-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /lʊk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “lot” - see the side-by-side comparison. look vs lot
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list