let'svslevesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: let's is a contraction, leves is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#23,474
“let's” frequency rank
#14,882
“leves” frequency rank
38356
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
let's
5 ch
leves

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: let's is /lɛts/ while leves is [ˈleβ̞es]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (contraction vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38356, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

let's is recorded at frequency rank #23,474, classified as acontraction, pronounced /lɛts/. leves is at rank #14,882, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈleβ̞es].

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 38356, this pair ranks #170,465 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of let's vs leves

Shared letters: els. Private to "let's": t. Private to "leves": v.

"let's" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "leves" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leveselves · lebes · leevs · levess · levse · levves · lleves · lvees

Frequency comparison

let's#23,474
leves#14,882

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "let's" and "leves" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "let's" is a contraction and "leves" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "let's" or "leves"?
"leves" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,882 in our Spanish list, against #23,474 for "let's". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering let's vs leves

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a contraction, it's “let's”; for an adjective, it's “leves”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “let's” 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