let

/lɛt/

//lɛt// verb

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

"let" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“let” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #228) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#228
frequency rank, English
16,425
“L” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to).

Corpus desk

Index EN-let · let · English

let · rank #228 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #228
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 16,425
  • PHOTO-FINISH he's

Nearest frequency peer: he's (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “let”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “let” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

let vs li
33% similar
let vs Lt
33% similar
let vs lo
33% similar

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

Key facts for let
PropertyValue
Headwordlet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/lɛt/
Letters3
Frequency rank#228
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “let” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). let lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for let is neighbouring look-alikes ("li", "Lt", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /lɛt/. Frequency #228 among 16,425 “L” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Zero misspellings are on record for let in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "li", "Lt", "lo", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from Middle English leten, læten, from Old English lǣtan (“to allow, let go, bequeath, leave, rent”), from Proto-West Germanic *lātan, from Proto-Germanic *lētaną (“to leave behind, allow”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to be tired, leave”). C… The correct English form is let, spelled L-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to).
  2. 2
    To allow to be or do without interference; to not disturb or meddle with; to leave alone.
  3. 3
    To allow the release of (a fluid).
  4. 4
    To allow possession of (a property etc.) in exchange for rent.
  5. 5
    To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; often with out.
  6. 6
    Used to introduce a first or third person imperative verb construction.
  7. 7
    To cause (+ bare infinitive).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After he knocked for hours, I decided to let him come in.
  2. Pharaoh said, I will let you go.

Etymology

Derived from Middle English leten, læten, from Old English lǣtan (“to allow, let go, bequeath, leave, rent”), from Proto-West Germanic *lātan, from Proto-Germanic *lētaną (“to leave behind, allow”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to be tired, leave”). Cognates Cognate with Scots lat, lete (“to let, leave”), Yola leth (“let”), North Frisian leet, let, lätje (“to let”), Bavarian låssn (“to let”), Dutch, Low German laten (“to let, leave”), German lassen, laßen (“to let, leave, allow”), Luxembourgish loossen (“to let, leave”), Yiddish לאָזן (lozn, “to let”), Danish lade (“to let, allow, leave”), Faroese, Icelandic láta (“to let”), Norwegian Bokmål la (“to let, leave”), Norwegian Nynorsk la, lata, late (“let, allow”), Swedish låta (“to let, allow, leave”), Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐍄𐌰𐌽 (lētan, “to let”), Albanian lë (“to allow, let, leave”) and partially related to French laisser (“to let”).

Synonyms

allowpermit

This word in other languages

permitir(Español)laisser(Français)lassen(Deutsch)deixar(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "let"?
"let" is spelled L-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /lɛt/.
What does "let" mean?
As a verb, "let" means: To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to).
What words are commonly confused with "let"?
"let" is commonly confused with "li", "Lt", "lo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "let"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "let" is /lɛt/. 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 "let"?
Derived from Middle English leten, læten, from Old English lǣtan (“to allow, let go, bequeath, leave, rent”), from Proto-West Germanic *lātan, from Proto-Germanic *lētaną (“to leave behind, allow”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to be tired, ... 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 "let", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

few#226set#234lot#219god#239
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list