lemmevslemonWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lemme is a contraction, lemon is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lemme” is a contraction and “lemon” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,723
“lemme” frequency rank
#6,066
“lemon” frequency rank
28789
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lemme lemon
Definition Let me. A yellowish citrus fruit.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lemme and lemon apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
lemme
5 ch
lemon

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lemme is /ˈlɛmi/ while lemon is /ˈlɛmən/. 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 (contraction vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28789, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lemme is recorded at frequency rank #22,723, classified as acontraction, pronounced /ˈlɛmi/. lemon is at rank #6,066, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɛmən/.

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 28789, this pair ranks #368,299 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lemme vs lemon

Shared letters: elm. Private to "lemme": -. Private to "lemon": no.

"lemme" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "lemon" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lemmeelmme · leme · lemem · llemme · lmeme
  • lemonelmon · lemmon · lemno · lemonn · leomn · llemon · lmeon

Frequency comparison

lemme#22,723
lemon#6,066

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lemme" and "lemon" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lemme" is a contraction and "lemon" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lemme" or "lemon"?
"lemon" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,066 in our English list, against #22,723 for "lemme". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lemme vs lemon

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list