Last or lost?
last is an adjective meaning “Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its kind”; lost is an adjective meaning “Having wandered from, or unable to find, the way”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) last is about 3.0 times as common as lost.
What is the difference between last and lost?
| last | lost | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | adjective, determiner, adverb, verb, noun | adjective, verb |
| Meaning | Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its kind Most recent, latest, last so far The (one) immediately before the present | Having wandered from, or unable to find, the way In an unknown location; unable to be found |
| Example | Will try to fix it by myself for now: as a last resort, we can always take it to a grease monkey | The children were soon lost in the forest |
| Forms | none | loster, lostest |
| Pronunciation | /lɑːst/ /læst/ /last/ | /lɒst/ /lɔst/ /lɔsʈ/ |
| In writing | 724 times per million words | 245 times per million words |
Sources: last and lost in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of last and lost
last
- 1
Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its kind
Will try to fix it by myself for now: as a last resort, we can always take it to a grease monkey
- 2
The (one) immediately before the present
We went there last year
- 3
Most recently
When we last met, he was based in Toronto
- 4
To endure, continue over time
Summer seems to last longer each year
- 5
A tool in the form of a foot on which an item of footwear (such as a boot or shoe) is placed for shaping while it is being manufactured or repaired
- 6
To shape (an item of footwear such as a boot or shoe) during its manufacture or repair while it is placed on a last (noun etymology 3, noun sense 1)
to last a boot
- 7
A load of some commodity with reference to its weight and commercial value
- 8
Most recent, latest, last so far
The last time I saw him, he was married
lost
- 1
Having wandered from, or unable to find, the way
The children were soon lost in the forest
- 2
In an unknown location; unable to be found
Deep beneath the ocean, the Titanic was lost to the world
- 3
Not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible
an island lost in a fog; a person lost in a crowd
- 4
Parted with; no longer held or possessed
a lost limb; lost honour
- 5
Not employed or enjoyed; thrown away; employed ineffectually; wasted; squandered
a lost day; a lost opportunity or benefit; no time should be lost
- 6
Ruined or destroyed, either physically or morally; past help or hope
a ship lost at sea; a woman lost to virtue; a lost soul
- 7
Hardened beyond sensibility or recovery; alienated; insensible
lost to shame; lost to all sense of honour
- 8
Occupied with, or under the influence of, something, so as not to notice external things
to be lost in thought
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, last or lost?
last appears 724 times per million words; lost 245 times per million words.
last 724 times per million wordslost 245 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).