Which to use
“leapt” and “let” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,194
- “leapt” frequency rank
- #228
- “let” frequency rank
- 27422
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leapt | let |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of leap | To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to). |
Where the eye mixes leapt and let
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses leapt with let
A purely visual mix-up. leapt (/lɛpt/) and let (/lɛt/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27422, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
leapt is recorded at frequency rank #27,194, classified as averb, pronounced /lɛpt/. 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 27422, this pair ranks #379,042 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of leapt vs let
Shared letters: elt. Private to "leapt": ap. Private to "let": -.
"leapt" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "let" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- leapt ← elapt · laept · leappt · leaptt · leatp · lepat · lleapt
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "leapt" for "let" ever safe?
Which is more common, "leapt" or "let"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "leapt" and "let" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "leapt" 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 #379,042 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leapt" and "let" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "leapt vs LSAT". 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 #379,042 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.