Lau vs let, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“Lau” is a name and “let” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,408
“Lau” frequency rank: #228
“let” frequency rank: 20636
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Lau	let
Definition	A surname from Chinese.	To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Lau and let apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

Lau

3 ch

let

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Lau is /laʊ/ while let is /lɛt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20636, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Lau is recorded at frequency rank #20,408, classified as aname, pronounced /laʊ/. 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 20636, this pair ranks #429,732 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Lau vs let

Shared letters: l. Private to "Lau": au. Private to "let": et.

"Lau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "let" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

Lau#20,408

let#228

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lau" and "let" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Lau" is a name and "let" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "Lau" or "let"?

"let" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #228 in our English list, against #20,408 for "Lau". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Lau vs let

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Lau”; for a verb, it's “let”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Lau” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable