laïcvslocTell them apart

Quick tell: laïc is a adjective, loc is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“laïc” is an adjective and “loc” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,892
“laïc” frequency rank
#27,508
“loc” frequency rank
47400
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature laïc loc
Definition Qualifie le caractère des personnes ou des choses ne faisant pas partie d’une institution religieuse. Loquet, serrure.

Letter map: laïc vs loc

Shared letters muted; letters that set laïc and loc apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.

4 ch
laïc
3 ch
loc

Role in the sentence - laïc and loc

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: laïc is anadjective and locanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47400, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

laïc is recorded at frequency rank #19,892, classified as anadj, pronounced \la.ik\. loc is at rank #27,508, tagged as anoun.

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 47400, this pair ranks #187,279 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of laïc vs loc

Shared letters: cl. Private to "laïc": . Private to "loc": o.

"laïc" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "loc" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "laïc" and "loc" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "laïc" is an adjective and "loc" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "laïc" vs "loc" - which ranks higher?
"laïc" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,892 in our French list, against #27,508 for "loc". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "laïc" and "loc".

  • Full dictionary entry for "laïc" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "loc" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #187,279 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "laïc" and "loc" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lobo vs loc". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #187,279 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list