letsvstestsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lets is a verb, tests is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lets” is a verb and “tests” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,317
“lets” frequency rank
#3,854
“tests” frequency rank
22171
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lets tests
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs let Plural des Substantivs test

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lets and tests apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lets
5 ch
tests

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: lets is averb and testsanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22171, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lets is recorded at frequency rank #18,317, classified as averb, pronounced […]. tests is at rank #3,854, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].

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 22171, this pair ranks #1,877,431 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lets vs tests

Shared letters: est. Private to "lets": l. Private to "tests": -.

"lets" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "tests" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • letselts · letss · letts · llets · ltes
  • testsetsts · tessts · testss · testts · tetss · ttests

Frequency comparison

lets#18,317
tests#3,854

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lets" and "tests" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lets" is a verb and "tests" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lets" or "tests"?
"tests" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,854 in our German list, against #18,317 for "lets". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lets vs tests

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lets”; for a noun, it's “tests”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lets” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list