lemmevslimeWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#22,723
“lemme” frequency rank
#8,814
“lime” frequency rank
31537
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lemme lime
Definition Let me. Any inorganic material containing calcium, usually calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime).

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
lemme
4 ch
lime

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

lemme and lime form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31537, 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/. lime is at rank #8,814, tagged as anoun, pronounced /laɪm/.

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 31537, this pair ranks #345,276 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

lemme#22,723
lime#8,814

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lemme" and "lime" be used interchangeably?
No, "lemme" and "lime" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering lemme vs lime

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 “lime”.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list