Which to use
“let's” is a verb and “lets” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #712
- “let's” frequency rank
- #2,952
- “lets” frequency rank
- 3664
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | let's | lets |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Used to form the cohortative of verbs, equivalent of the first-person plural imperative in some other languages. | plural of let |
Same sound, different letters: let's vs lets
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 4 letters.
Same sound, different spelling - let's / lets
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: let's and lets carry the same recorded pronunciation, /lɛts/. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
let's is recorded at frequency rank #712, classified as averb, pronounced /lɛts/. lets is at rank #2,952, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɛts/.
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 3664, this pair ranks #521,398 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of let's vs lets
Shared letters: elst. Private to "let's": -. Private to "lets": -.
"let's" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lets" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lets ← elts · letss · letts · llets · ltes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "let's" and "lets" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "let's" or "lets"?
Useful next steps
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "let's" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lets" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #521,398 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "let's" and "lets" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lel vs lets". 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 #521,398 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.