linvslooConfusable pair

Quick tell: lin is a noun, loo is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lin” is a noun and “loo” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,734
“lin” frequency rank
#43,690
“loo” frequency rank
57424
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lin loo
Definition Lino. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de loar.

Where the eye mixes lin and loo

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. lin (CVC) and loo (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

3 ch
lin
3 ch
loo

Look-alike desk: lin vs loo

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lin is [lɛ̃] while loo is [ˈloo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57424, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lin is recorded at frequency rank #13,734, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɛ̃]. loo is at rank #43,690, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈloo].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 57424, this pair ranks #70,564 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lin vs loo

Shared letters: l. Private to "lin": in. Private to "loo": o.

"lin" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "loo" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "lin" for "loo" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lin" is a noun and "loo" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lin" or "loo"?
"lin" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,734 in our Spanish list, against #43,690 for "loo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "lin" and "loo" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lin" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "loo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #70,564 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lin" and "loo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "loo vs lotto". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #70,564 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list