Which to use
“last” and “least” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #141
- “last” frequency rank
- #348
- “least” frequency rank
- 489
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | last | least |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its kind. | Chiefly preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little. |
Where the eye mixes last and least
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. last (/lɑːst/) and least (/liːst/) 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 489, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
last is recorded at frequency rank #141, classified as anadj, pronounced /lɑːst/. least is at rank #348, tagged as anadj, pronounced /liːst/.
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 489, this pair ranks #529,331 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of last vs least
Shared letters: alst. Private to "last": -. Private to "least": e.
"last" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "least" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC