lough

/lɑx/

//lɑx// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lough” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,390. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,390
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 lake or long, narrow inlet, especially in Ireland.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lough · lough · English

lough · rank #35,390 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,390
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lottie

Nearest frequency peer: Lottie (-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 “lough”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lough” 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).

lough vs lug
60% similar
lough vs lush
60% similar
lough vs luge
60% similar

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

Key facts for lough
PropertyValue
Headwordlough
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lɑx/
Letters5
Frequency rank#35,390
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lough”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).loughlands 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 “Lottie” (#35,389), “lumpy” (#35,393), “lindy” (#35,386). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lough” is #35,390. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around lough (IPA /lɑx/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,390 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A lake or long, narrow inlet, especially in Ireland.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for lough, with forms such as "llough", "loguh", and "louggh". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lug", "lush", "luge", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Irish loch (from Old Irish loch), from Proto-Celtic *loku (“lake, pool”), from Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“pond, pool”). Doublet of lay, loch, and Looe. The correct English form is lough, spelled L-O-U-G-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lake or long, narrow inlet, especially in Ireland.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Outside, a freezing wind whips across Belfast lough […].
  2. A study showing that the temperature of the lough’s water has risen 1C since 1995, however, suggests that climate change and clearer waters as a result of an invasive zebra mussel species may also be contributing factors.

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish loch (from Old Irish loch), from Proto-Celtic *loku (“lake, pool”), from Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“pond, pool”). Doublet of lay, loch, and Looe.

Synonyms

loch

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • llough
  • loguh
  • louggh
  • loughh
  • louhg
  • luogh
  • olugh

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lough - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

llough1loguh2louggh1loughh1louhg2luogh2olugh2
Edit distance from "lough"

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 "lough"?
"lough" is spelled L-O-U-G-H. The IPA pronunciation is /lɑx/.
What does "lough" mean?
As a noun, "lough" means: A lake or long, narrow inlet, especially in Ireland.
What words are commonly confused with "lough"?
"lough" is commonly confused with "lug", "lush", "luge". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lough"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lough" is /lɑx/. 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 "lough"?
Borrowed from Irish loch (from Old Irish loch), from Proto-Celtic *loku (“lake, pool”), from Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“pond, pool”). Doublet of lay, loch, and Looe. 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 "lough", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lumpy#35,393lindy#35,386laker#35,382Minas#35,411

Similar misspelling depth

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

neath7 variantsIndra7 variantsnines7 variantsHussey7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list