loovsloseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“loo” and “lose” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#43,690
“loo” frequency rank
#37,699
“lose” frequency rank
81389
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loo lose
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de loar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de losar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set loo and lose apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
loo
4 ch
lose

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. loo ([ˈloo]) and lose ([ˈlose]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81389, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loo is recorded at frequency rank #43,690, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈloo]. lose is at rank #37,699, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlose].

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 81389, this pair ranks #10,469 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of loo vs lose

Shared letters: lo. Private to "loo": -. Private to "lose": es.

"loo" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "lose" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • losellose · loce · loes · losse · lsoe · olse

Frequency comparison

loo#43,690
lose#37,699

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loo" and "lose" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈloo] versus [ˈlose]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "loo" or "lose"?
"lose" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #37,699 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.

Remembering loo vs lose

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “loo” 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