Which to use
“lo” is an article and “loco” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19
- “lo” frequency rank
- #972
- “loco” frequency rank
- 991
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lo | loco |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Artículo determinado de género neutro que se usa para sustantivar adjetivos o frases. Forma del neutro de el. | Que no está en su sano juicio, que se comporta de forma irracional. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lo and loco apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
lo and loco form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “lo” sits inside “loco” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 991, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lo is recorded at frequency rank #19, classified as anarticle, pronounced [lo]. loco is at rank #972, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈloko].
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 991, this pair ranks #322,709 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lo" and "loco" be used interchangeably?
Remembering lo vs loco
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an article, it's “lo”; for an adjective, it's “loco”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lo” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable