Which to use
“lasts” is a noun and “less” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,309
- “lasts” frequency rank
- #305
- “less” frequency rank
- 8614
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lasts | less |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of last | comparative degree of little |
Where the eye mixes lasts and less
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lasts with less
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lasts is /lɑːsts/ while less is /lɛs/. 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 (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8614, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lasts is recorded at frequency rank #8,309, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɑːsts/. less is at rank #305, tagged as anadv, pronounced /lɛs/.
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 8614, this pair ranks #501,615 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lasts vs less
Shared letters: ls. Private to "lasts": at. Private to "less": e.
"lasts" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "less" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lasts" and "less" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lasts" or "less"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lasts" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "less" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #501,615 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lasts" and "less" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "less 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 #501,615 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.