losevsloteWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#37,699
“lose” frequency rank
#9,146
“lote” frequency rank
46845
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lose lote
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de losar. Cada una de las partes en que se divide un todo que se ha de distribuir entre varias personas.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
lose
4 ch
lote

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lose is [ˈlose] while lote is [ˈlot̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - s in “lose” becomes t in “lote”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46845, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lose is recorded at frequency rank #37,699, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlose]. lote is at rank #9,146, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlot̪e].

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 46845, this pair ranks #123,409 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lose vs lote

Shared letters: elo. Private to "lose": s. Private to "lote": t.

"lose" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "lote" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • losellose · loce · loes · losse · lsoe · olse
  • lotellote · loet · ltoe · olte

Frequency comparison

lose#37,699
lote#9,146

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lose" and "lote" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lose" is a verb and "lote" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lose" or "lote"?
"lote" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,146 in our Spanish list, against #37,699 for "lose". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lose vs lote

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lose”; for a noun, it's “lote”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lose” 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