lentovsletConfusable pair

Which to use

“lento” and “let” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,426
“lento” frequency rank
#16,630
“let” frequency rank
20056
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lento let
Definition Que obra, sucede o se hace con velocidad reducida. Ligero.

Where the eye mixes lento and let

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
lento
3 ch
let

Why the eye confuses lento with let

A purely visual mix-up. lento ([ˈlẽn̪t̪o]) and let ([lɛd]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20056, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lento is recorded at frequency rank #3,426, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlẽn̪t̪o]. let is at rank #16,630, tagged as anadj, pronounced [lɛd].

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 20056, this pair ranks #260,990 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lento vs let

Shared letters: elt. Private to "lento": no. Private to "let": -.

"lento" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "let" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lentoelnto · lennto · lenot · lentto · letno · llento · lneto

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "lento" for "let" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlẽn̪t̪o] versus [lɛd]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "lento" vs "let" - which ranks higher?
"lento" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,426 in our Spanish list, against #16,630 for "let". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lento" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "let" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #260,990 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lento" and "let" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "let vs lies". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #260,990 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list