LoïcvsloyConfusable pair

Quick tell: Loïc is a name, loy is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Loïc” is a name and “loy” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,671
“Loïc” frequency rank
#44,027
“loy” frequency rank
59698
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Loïc loy
Definition Prénom masculin. Ancienne variante orthographique de loi.

Where the eye mixes Loïc and loy

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Loïc
3 ch
loy

Look-alike desk: Loïc vs loy

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Loïc is \lɔ.ik\ while loy is \lwa\. 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 (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59698, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Loïc is recorded at frequency rank #15,671, classified as aname, pronounced \lɔ.ik\. loy is at rank #44,027, tagged as anoun, pronounced \lwa\.

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 59698, this pair ranks #101,677 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Loïc vs loy

Shared letters: lo. Private to "Loïc": . Private to "loy": y.

"Loïc" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "loy" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Loïc" for "loy" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Loïc" is a name and "loy" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Loïc" vs "loy" - which ranks higher?
"Loïc" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,671 in our French list, against #44,027 for "loy". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Loïc" and "loy" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Loïc" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "loy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #101,677 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Loïc" and "loy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lobo vs loy". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #101,677 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