lensvslet'sWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lens is a noun, let's is a contraction, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lens” is a noun and “let's” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#47,908
“lens” frequency rank
#23,474
“let's” frequency rank
71382
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lens let's
Definition Lente. Usado para formar el cohortativo de los verbos, equivalente a la primera persona plural del imperativo en otros idiomas; "vamos a + infinitivo".

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lens and let's apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lens
5 ch
let's

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lens is /lɛnz/ while let's is /lɛts/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs contraction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71382, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lens is recorded at frequency rank #47,908, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɛnz/. let's is at rank #23,474, tagged as acontraction, pronounced /lɛts/.

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 71382, this pair ranks #27,639 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lens vs let's

Shared letters: els. Private to "lens": n. Private to "let's": t.

"lens" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "let's" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lenselns · lenns · lenss · lesn · llens · lnes

Frequency comparison

lens#47,908
let's#23,474

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lens" and "let's" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lens" is a noun and "let's" a contraction, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lens" or "let's"?
"let's" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,474 in our Spanish list, against #47,908 for "lens". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lens vs let's

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lens”; for a contraction, it's “let's”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lens” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list