Word Confusion: Let’s versus Lets

Posted June 24, 2013 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
15 Jan 2023

This one drives me mad! Almost no one remembers that there are two ways of interpreting let’s and let us! I’m always having to pop that apostrophe in between the t and the s when I’m editing.

People! It’s not that hard! Every time you use any contraction, take the contraction out. Try it in full. If you’re using let’s, does let us provide the same impression? If it does, yeah, leave that apostrophe in there!

If it doesn’t, well, whew, you caught it. Now take that apostrophe out and allow lets to stand on its own WITHOUT the apostrophe.

On the One Hand . . . . . . On the Other Hand
Let’s play . . .

Hey, why don’t we play a game/music/telly???

. . . lets . . . play

We allow John/Mary/Fido to play with us.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Let’s, a.k.a. Let Us Lets

xx

Let’s Get Out of Here! by Dunk under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.


A Labrador puppy coming through a dog door in a blue-panelled wall

Balder thru the Door by Anthony Van Wyck under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.

A dog door lets the dog out without any effort on your part.

Part of Grammar:
Morpheme: let


Contraction
Verb

Third person present verb: lets us
Past tense or past participle: let us
Present participle: letting us

Morpheme: let


Noun 1
Verb 2, intransitive & transitive 1

Plural for the noun: lets
Gerund: letting

Third person present verb: lets
Past tense or past participle: let, letted
Present participle: letting

Used as a polite way of making or responding to a suggestion, giving an instruction, or introducing a remark Noun:
[In racket sports] A play that is nullified and has to be played again, especially when a served ball touches the top of the net 1

Verb, intransitive:
To admit of being rented or leased 2

Verb, transitive:
[Archaic] Hinder 1

Not prevent or forbid 2

  • Allow

Allow to pass in a particular direction

Used in the imperative to formulate various expressions

  • [let me or let us] Used to make a polite offer of help
  • Used to express one’s strong desire for something to happen or be the case
  • Used as a way of expressing defiance or challenge
  • Used to express an assumption upon which a theory or calculation is to be based

Allow someone to have the use of a room or property in return for regular payments

  • Rent

Award a contract for a particular project to an applicant

Examples:
Let’s have a drink.

“Shall we go?” “Yes, let’s.”

Let’s party!

Oh, yes! Let’s do it.

Noun:
A let will be given for any accidental hindrances.

A double fault equals a let.

Verb, intransitive:
The apartment lets for $100 per week.

I’ll let you in on a secret.

School lets out in May.

Verb, transitive:
My boss lets me leave early.

You mustn’t let yourself get so involved.

George lets the dog out for me.

It’s a tiny window that lets in hardly any light.

“Here, let me,” offered Bruce.

“Dear God,” Jessica prayed, “let him be all right.”

If he wants to walk out, well, let him!

This lets A and B stand for X and Y, respectively.

Homeowners will be able to let rooms to lodgers without having to pay tax.

Shelly lets her apartment for a good rate.

Preliminary contracts were let and tunneling work started.

Pray you let us not; we fain would greet our mother.

Phrasal Verb
let down
let someone down
let something down
let oneself in for
let someone in on
let someone into
let someone off
let something off
let on
let out
let someone out
let something out
let up
History of the Word:
The noun and the verb forms both come from an Indo-European root shared by late from the Latin lassus meaning weary.


  1. From Old English lettan for hinder. It’s of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch letten.
  2. From Old English lǣtan meaning leave behind, leave out, of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch laten and the German lassen.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Let’s versus Lets

Apple Dictionary.com

Belleville High School

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Pinterest Photo Credits:

I’m Not Saying Let’s Go Kill All the Stupid People is courtesy of WeKnowMemes, <http://weknowmemes.com/2012/05/im-not-saying-lets-go-kill-all-the-stupid-people/>.

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