Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell less

hear itless/lɛs/determinerStarter

What it means: A smaller amount or quantity.

In a sentence: There is less chocolate in my cookie than in yours.

The part people get wrong

Watch for double s. Often misspelled as les or liss.

Same family: lesser, least, lessen, fewer, reduce. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Less” comes from Old English “lessa,” meaning “smaller” or “not as much.” It is related to the word “little” and has been used in English for over a thousand years to talk about smaller amounts.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

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