Which to use
“leans” and “let's” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,409
- “leans” frequency rank
- #712
- “let's” frequency rank
- 21121
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leans | let's |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of lean | Used to form the cohortative of verbs, equivalent of the first-person plural imperative in some other languages. |
Where the eye mixes leans and let's
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses leans with let's
A purely visual mix-up. leans (/liːnz/) and let's (/lɛts/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21121, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
leans is recorded at frequency rank #20,409, classified as averb, pronounced /liːnz/. let's is at rank #712, tagged as averb, pronounced /lɛts/.
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 21121, this pair ranks #426,213 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of leans vs let's
Shared letters: els. Private to "leans": an. Private to "let's": t.
"leans" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "let's" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- leans ← elans · leanns · leanss · leasn · lenas · lleans
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "leans" for "let's" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "leans" or "let's" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "leans" and "let's" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "leans" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "let's" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #426,213 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leans" and "let's" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "leans vs Levis". 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 #426,213 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.