locovslooWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#972
“loco” frequency rank
#43,690
“loo” frequency rank
44662
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loco loo
Definition Que no está en su sano juicio, que se comporta de forma irracional. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de loar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set loco and loo apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
loco
3 ch
loo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

loco and loo 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 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44662, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loco is recorded at frequency rank #972, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈloko]. 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 44662, this pair ranks #135,817 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

loco#972
loo#43,690

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loco" and "loo" be used interchangeably?
No, "loco" and "loo" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering loco vs loo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “loco”; for a verb, it's “loo”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “loco” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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