Which to use
“lets” is a noun and “lex” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,952
- “lets” frequency rank
- #14,983
- “lex” frequency rank
- 17935
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lets | lex |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of let | To perform lexical analysis; to convert a character stream to a token stream as a preliminary to parsing. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lets and lex apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
lets and lex form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17935, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lets is recorded at frequency rank #2,952, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɛts/. lex is at rank #14,983, tagged as averb, pronounced /lɛks/.
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 17935, this pair ranks #448,217 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lets" and "lex" be used interchangeably?
Remembering lets vs lex
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lets”; for a verb, it's “lex”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lets” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable