lost vs lut, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#15,430
“lost” frequency rank: #40,358
“lut” frequency rank: 55788
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	lost	lut
Definition	Ignorant.	Se dit de pâtes ou d'enduits qu'on applique sur les bouchons des vases pour en assurer la fermeture hermétique, autour des cornues, des tubes de verre pour les soustraire à l'action directe du feu, ou qu'on utilise pour obturer des trous, pour faire des joints etc.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lost and lut apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch

lost

3 ch

lut

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

lost and lut form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55788, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lost is recorded at frequency rank #15,430, classified as anadj, pronounced \lɔst\. lut is at rank #40,358, tagged as anoun, pronounced \lyt\.

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 55788, this pair ranks #125,241 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

lost#15,430

lut#40,358

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lost" and "lut" be used interchangeably?

No, "lost" and "lut" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering lost vs lut

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “lost”; for a noun, it's “lut”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lost” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable