Which to use
“labels” and “lapel” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,259
- “labels” frequency rank
- #38,470
- “lapel” frequency rank
- 44729
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | labels | lapel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of label | Each of the two triangular pieces of cloth on the front of a jacket or coat that are folded back below the throat, leaving a triangular opening between. |
Where the eye mixes labels and lapel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between labels and lapel
A purely visual mix-up. labels (/ˈleɪ.bəlz/) and lapel (/ləˈpɛl/) 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 44729, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
labels is recorded at frequency rank #6,259, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈleɪ.bəlz/. lapel is at rank #38,470, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ləˈpɛl/.
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 44729, this pair ranks #227,906 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of labels vs lapel
Shared letters: ael. Private to "labels": bs. Private to "lapel": p.
"labels" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "lapel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "labels" for "lapel" ever safe?
Which is more common, "labels" or "lapel"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "labels" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lapel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #227,906 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "labels" and "lapel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lapel vs lope". 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 #227,906 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.