Whats the difference between 让, 令 and 使? 让 is frequently used in speech, usually translated with "to make somebody do something" or "to let" Your other examples illustrate it nicely 让我想一想 (= let me think a bit) The most fundamental difference between 让 and 使 is that 使 means basically "cause to", therefore it's used mostly when it refers to inanimate entities or when there is no intention