Which to use
“let's” is a verb and “lots” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #712
- “let's” frequency rank
- #1,399
- “lots” frequency rank
- 2111
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | let's | lots |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Used to form the cohortative of verbs, equivalent of the first-person plural imperative in some other languages. | plural of lot |
Where the eye mixes let's and lots
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: let's is /lɛts/ while lots is /lɑts/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2111, 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/. lots is at rank #1,399, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɑts/.
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 2111, this pair ranks #525,839 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of let's vs lots
Shared letters: lst. Private to "let's": e. Private to "lots": o.
"let's" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lots" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lots ← llots · lotss · lotts · ltos · olts