Which to use
“lessee” is a noun and “lessen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,324
- “lessee” frequency rank
- #17,888
- “lessen” frequency rank
- 66212
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lessee | lessen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An individual or a corporation who has the right of use of something of value, gained through a lease agreement with the real owner of the property. | To make less; to diminish; to reduce. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lessee and lessen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lessee is /lɛˈsiː/ while lessen is /ˈlɛsən/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “lessee” becomes n in “lessen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66212, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lessee is recorded at frequency rank #48,324, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɛˈsiː/. lessen is at rank #17,888, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈlɛsən/.
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 66212, this pair ranks #69,056 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lessee vs lessen
Shared letters: els. Private to "lessee": -. Private to "lessen": n.
"lessee" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "lessen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lessee" and "lessen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lessee" or "lessen"?
Remembering lessee vs lessen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lessee”; for a verb, it's “lessen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lessee” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable