Which to use
“letting” is a verb and “looting” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,840
- “letting” frequency rank
- #15,856
- “looting” frequency rank
- 18696
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | letting | looting |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | present participle and gerund of let | The act of stealing during a crisis such as a war, riot or natural disaster, when law enforcement is ineffective or absent. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set letting and looting apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: letting is averb and lootinganoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18696, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
letting is recorded at frequency rank #2,840, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈlɛtɪŋ/. looting is at rank #15,856, tagged as anoun.
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 18696, this pair ranks #443,144 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of letting vs looting
Shared letters: gilnt. Private to "letting": e. Private to "looting": o.
"letting" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "looting" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "letting" and "looting" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "letting" or "looting"?
Remembering letting vs looting
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “letting”; for a noun, it's “looting”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “letting” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable