Which to use
“les” and “low” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,067
- “les” frequency rank
- #468
- “low” frequency rank
- 6535
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | les | low |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Clipping of lesbian. | Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty. |
Where the eye mixes les and low
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses les with low
A purely visual mix-up. les (/lɛz/) and low (/ˈləʊ/) 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 6535, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
les is recorded at frequency rank #6,067, classified as anadj, pronounced /lɛz/. low is at rank #468, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈləʊ/.
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 6535, this pair ranks #511,035 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of les vs low
Shared letters: l. Private to "les": es. Private to "low": ow.
"les" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "low" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "les" and "low" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "les" or "low"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "les" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "low" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #511,035 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "les" and "low" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "les vs LSC". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #511,035 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.