def str_dist(new, original, lowerize=True):
    """Measures difference between two strings"""
    if lowerize:
        new = new.lower()
        original = original.lower()
    len_diff = abs(len(new) - len(original))
    length = min(len(new), len(original))
    for i in range(length):
        len_diff += not new[i] == original[i]
    return len_diff
