Which to use
“last” is an adjective and “let” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #141
- “last” frequency rank
- #228
- “let” frequency rank
- 369
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | last | let |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its kind. | To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to). |
Where the eye mixes last and let
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses last with let
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: last is /lɑːst/ while let is /lɛt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 369, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
last is recorded at frequency rank #141, classified as anadj, pronounced /lɑːst/. let is at rank #228, tagged as averb, pronounced /lɛt/.
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 369, this pair ranks #529,531 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of last vs let
Shared letters: lt. Private to "last": as. Private to "let": e.
"last" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "let" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- last ← alst · lasst · lastt · lats · llast
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "last" and "let" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "last" or "let" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "last" and "let" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "last" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "let" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #529,531 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "last" and "let" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "let vs LSC". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #529,531 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.