Lets vs. Lets How to Choose the Right Word

The terms lets  and lets sound exactly the same, and the only visual difference is the apostrophe, the little mark that looks like a floating comma. But they are different forms of the same verb, let, and have different uses. How to Use Lets Lets (without the apostrophe) is the third-person singular form of the verb let, which means to allow, release, or leave. You can say that your friend lets you borrow his class notes or a neighbor lets her dog run freely. How to Use Lets Lets (with the apostrophe) is the contraction of let us, a phrase meaning roughly we should, as in Lets go to the park. The uncontracted form is considered formal and is rarely seen outside of formal ceremonies or poetry, as in T.S. Eliots phrase Let us go then, you and I from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. (The phrase lets us is nonstandard for lets, so lets not use it.) Examples These examples show the differences between the two terms and their proper uses: Sometimes my grandmother  lets  us to go to the  park in the evening and play on the long stretches of soft  grass. Here the meaning of lets is to allow or permit.When Sharon drives her twins to school, she lets them out of the car a block from the campus so she can avoid the traffic. In this example, lets means to release.Lets find a good place for dinner tonight with a patio so we can relax and enjoy the spring weather. Here lets means we should.Lets hope the waiter lets us alone and doesnt keep coming back to the table to refill our water glasses. In this example, lets means we should and lets means leaves.When the trapeze artist lets go of the bar, my heart jumps into my throat. Here lets means release as part of the verb phrase lets go. Related Grammatical Concepts Let Us or Lets:  Formality is a major part of the difference between let us and lets. Its usually true that contractions are less formal than the uncontracted forms, and thats certainly true here. Let us pray, which is used in religious ceremonies, is more formal than Lets pray that the crosswalk signal doesnt tell us to stop before we make it across the street. Leave and Let:  Standard English usage doesnt permit leave to be used in place of let in phrases such as let me be (not leave me be) or lets go (not leave us go). The negative of lets: Lets not is the acceptable negative form of lets, as in Lets not tell anyone where were going. Sources https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/let-let-s