loçãovslockWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“loção” and “lock” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#32,245
“loção” frequency rank
#22,711
“lock” frequency rank
54956
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loção lock
Definition líquido perfumado e levemente alcoolizado para o tratamento da pele e dos cabelos fechadura

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
loção
4 ch
lock

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. loção (/lu.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) and lock (/lɒk/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54956, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loção is recorded at frequency rank #32,245, classified as anoun, pronounced /lu.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. lock is at rank #22,711, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɒk/.

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 54956, this pair ranks #10,904 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of loção vs lock

Shared letters: lo. Private to "loção": ãç. Private to "lock": ck.

"loção" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "lock" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • locklcok · llock · locck · lockk · lokc · olck

Frequency comparison

loção#32,245
lock#22,711

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loção" and "lock" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/lu.ˈsɐ̃w̃/ versus /lɒk/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "loção" or "lock"?
"lock" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,711 in our Portuguese list, against #32,245 for "loção". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering loção vs lock

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “loção” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list