Which to use
“lose” is a verb and “lower” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,699
- “lose” frequency rank
- #44,841
- “lower” frequency rank
- 82540
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lose | lower |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de losar. | Más bajo, comparativo de low. |
Where the eye mixes lose and lower
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lose with lower
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lose is [ˈlose] while lower is /ˈləʊ.ə/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82540, 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]. lower is at rank #44,841, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈləʊ.ə/.
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 82540, this pair ranks #9,131 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lose vs lower
Shared letters: elo. Private to "lose": s. Private to "lower": rw.
"lose" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "lower" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lose" and "lower" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lose" or "lower"?
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 "lose" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lower" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #9,131 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lose" and "lower" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lover vs lower". 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 #9,131 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.