Which to use
“lock” and “Locke” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,658
- “lock” frequency rank
- #20,415
- “Locke” frequency rank
- 55073
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lock | Locke |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cerradura. | Bucle, rizo. |
Where the eye mixes lock and Locke
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between lock and Locke
A purely visual mix-up. lock (/lɒk/) and Locke ([ˈlɔkə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “lock” sits inside “Locke”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55073, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lock is recorded at frequency rank #34,658, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɒk/. Locke is at rank #20,415, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔkə].
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 55073, this pair ranks #80,507 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lock vs Locke
Shared letters: cklo. Private to "lock": -. Private to "Locke": e.
"lock" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Locke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lock" for "Locke" ever safe?
Which is more common, "lock" or "Locke"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lock" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Locke" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #80,507 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lock" and "Locke" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lock". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #80,507 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.