Which to use
“loi” is a noun and “low” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #300
- “loi” frequency rank
- #8,731
- “low” frequency rank
- 9031
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | loi | low |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Règle, obligations écrites, prescrites ou tacites, auxquelles les personnes se doivent de se conformer. | Bas. |
Where the eye mixes loi and low
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses loi with low
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: loi is \lwa\ while low is \loʊ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - i in “loi” becomes w in “low”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9031, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
loi is recorded at frequency rank #300, classified as anoun, pronounced \lwa\. low is at rank #8,731, tagged as anadj, pronounced \loʊ\.
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 9031, this pair ranks #418,034 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of loi vs low
Shared letters: lo. Private to "loi": i. Private to "low": w.
"loi" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "low" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "loi" and "low" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "loi" or "low"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "loi" and "low" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "loi" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "low" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #418,034 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "loi" and "low" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lobo vs low". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #418,034 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.