let go

verb

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

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

The verdict

“let go” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To release from one's grasp; to go from a state of holding on to a state of no longer holding on.

Corpus desk

Index EN-let-go · let go · English

let go · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for let go
PropertyValue
Headwordlet go
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “let go” in English

let goranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

let go is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

let go doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is let go, spelled L-E-T- -G-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    To release from one's grasp; to go from a state of holding on to a state of no longer holding on.
  2. 2
    To emotionally disengage or distract oneself from a situation.
  3. 3
    To dismiss from employment.
  4. 4
    To ignore (a comment, etc.).
  5. 5
    To fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance.
  6. 6
    To fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance.
  7. 7
    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see let, go.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You're hurting him! Let him go!
  2. Let go of the phone.

This word in other languages

soltar(Español)lâcher(Français)loslassen(Deutsch)soltar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "let go"?
"let go" is spelled L-E-T- -G-O.
What does "let go" mean?
As a verb, "let go" means: To release from one's grasp; to go from a state of holding on to a state of no longer holding on.
What language does "let go" come from?
"let go" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list