least

/liːst/

//liːst// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"least" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“least” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #348. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#348
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Chiefly preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little.

Corpus desk

Index EN-least · least · English

least · rank #348 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #348
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH important

Nearest frequency peer: important (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “least”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “least” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

least vs let
60% similar
least vs les
60% similar
least vs LST
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for least
PropertyValue
Headwordleast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/liːst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#348
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “least”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).leastlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “important” (#347), “means” (#349), “hope” (#346). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “least” is #348. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around least (IPA /liːst/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #348 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for least, with forms such as "elast", "laest", and "leasst". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "let", "les", "LST", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective, determiner, and noun are derived from Middle English leste, lest, last (“(adjective) smallest, least; (noun) smallest thing, etc.; person or thing least in importance; etc.”), from Old English lǣst, a contraction of læsast, læsest (“least”) (… The correct English form is least, spelled L-E-A-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Chiefly preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little.
  2. 2
    Chiefly preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little.
  3. 3
    Chiefly preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little.
  4. 4
    Chiefly preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how least appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. least common multiple
  2. Of two ils chose the least, while choise lyeth in lot.

Etymology

The adjective, determiner, and noun are derived from Middle English leste, lest, last (“(adjective) smallest, least; (noun) smallest thing, etc.; person or thing least in importance; etc.”), from Old English lǣst, a contraction of læsast, læsest (“least”) (also lærest in only one source), from Proto-Germanic *laisistaz (“smallest, least”), from *laisiz (“less”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂is- or *leh₃is-; whence modern English less) + *-istaz (“suffix forming superlative forms of some adjectives”). The adverb and pronoun are derived from the adjective or determiner. cognates * Old Frisian leist * Old Saxon lēs

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elast
  • laest
  • leasst
  • leastt
  • leats
  • lesat
  • lleast

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of least - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

elast2laest2leasst1leastt1leats2lesat2lleast1
Edit distance from "least"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "least"?
"least" is spelled L-E-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /liːst/.
What does "least" mean?
As an adjective, "least" means: Chiefly preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little.
What words are commonly confused with "least"?
"least" is commonly confused with "let", "les", "LST". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "least"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "least" is /liːst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "least"?
The adjective, determiner, and noun are derived from Middle English leste, lest, last (“(adjective) smallest, least; (noun) smallest thing, etc.; person or thing least in importance; etc.”), from Old English lǣst, a contraction of læsast, læsest (... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "least", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

means#349games#344early#354story#341

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

local7 variantsmaybe7 variantswhole7 variantsyoung7 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list