# less

> English word · Adverb · IPA /lɛs/ · frequency rank #305

## Definitions
1. comparative degree of little
2. Used for constructing syntactic diminutive comparatives of adjectives and adverbs.
3. To a smaller extent or degree.

## Etymology
Adverb From Middle English les, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣs (“smaller, less”), from Proto-Germanic *laisiz, from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“to shrink, grow thin, be gentle”). Cognate with Old Frisian lēs (“less”), Old Saxon lēs (“less”). According to Kroonen (2013), from a northern Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *leh₂is- or *leh₃is-, which he connects to Lithuanian liesas (“lean”).
Determiner and preposition from Middle English lees, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣssa (“less”), from Proto-Germanic *laisizan-, from Proto-Germanic *laisiz (“smaller, lesser, fewer, lower”) (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian lessa (“less”).
Verb from Middle English lessen, from the determiner.
Noun from Middle English lesse, from the determiner.

## Easily confused with
- **Ls** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-ls)
- **let** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-let)
- **los** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-los)
- **lex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lex)
- **LSU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lsu)
- **Lew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lew)
- **LSD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lsd)
- **lev** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lev)
- **lis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lis)
- **ley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-ley)
- **LST** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lst)
- **LSC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lsc)
- **lost** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lost)
- **list** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-list)
- **lose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lose)
- **loss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-loss)
- **lots** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lots)
- **lies** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lies)
- **lets** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lets)
- **lips** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/less-vs-lips)

## Common misspellings (3)
`elss`, `lless`, `lses`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/less