loch vs locke

Side by side

loch or locke?

What is the difference between loch and locke?

loch means "a long narrow inlet of the sea in Scotland (especially when it is nearly landlocked)". locke means "English empiricist philosopher who believed that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience (1632-1704)". They are pronounced identically — /ˈlɑk/ — so only the spelling and the meaning separate them.

Which is more common, loch or locke?

Neither is markedly more common — both sit in the "Familiar" band.

Are loch and locke pronounced the same?

Yes. Both are /ˈlɑk/, said lahk. Words that sound alike and are spelled differently are homophones, and they are the commonest source of written mix-ups in English.

Can loch and locke be used in the same place in a sentence?

Both work as nouns, so they are grammatically interchangeable. That is exactly what makes the meaning difference worth checking.

Full entry for loch · Full entry for locke · More comparisons