lastvslazyWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“last” and “lazy” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#141
“last” frequency rank
#4,773
“lazy” frequency rank
4914
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature last lazy
Definition Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its kind. Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
last
4 ch
lazy

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

last and lazy form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4914, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

last is recorded at frequency rank #141, classified as anadj, pronounced /lɑːst/. lazy is at rank #4,773, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈleɪzi/.

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 4914, this pair ranks #517,240 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

last#141
lazy#4,773

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "last" and "lazy" be used interchangeably?
No, "last" and "lazy" 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 last vs lazy

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 “last” 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