Which to use
“least” and “list” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,429
- “least” frequency rank
- #14,077
- “list” frequency rank
- 56506
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | least | list |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’impératif présent de leasen. | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif présent de listen. |
Where the eye mixes least and list
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: least vs list
A purely visual mix-up. least (\liːst\) and list (\lɪst\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56506, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
least is recorded at frequency rank #42,429, classified as averb, pronounced \liːst\. list is at rank #14,077, tagged as averb, pronounced \lɪst\.
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 56506, this pair ranks #120,692 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of least vs list
Shared letters: lst. Private to "least": ae. Private to "list": i.
"least" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "list" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "least" and "list" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "least" or "list"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "least" and "list" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "least" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "list" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #120,692 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "least" and "list" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "least vs leste". 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 #120,692 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.