Which to use
“lent” is a noun and “let” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,389
- “lent” frequency rank
- #228
- “let” frequency rank
- 10617
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lent | let |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative letter-case form of Lent. | To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to). |
Where the eye mixes lent and let
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between lent and let
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lent is /lɛnt/ while let is /lɛt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10617, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lent is recorded at frequency rank #10,389, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɛnt/. 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 10617, this pair ranks #491,401 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lent vs let
Shared letters: elt. Private to "lent": n. Private to "let": -.
"lent" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "let" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lent ← elnt · lennt · lentt · letn · llent · lnet
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lent" and "let" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "lent" or "let" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "lent" and "let" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lent" 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 #491,401 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lent" and "let" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lent vs lucent". 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 #491,401 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.