labiavslapisWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“labia” and “lapis” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#41,725
“labia” frequency rank
#38,012
“lapis” frequency rank
79737
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature labia lapis
Definition The folds of tissue of the vulva, at either side of the vulval vestibule. Ellipsis of lapis lazuli.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set labia and lapis apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
labia
5 ch
lapis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. labia (/ˈleɪ.bi.ə/) and lapis (/ˈlæpɪs/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

labia is recorded at frequency rank #41,725, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈleɪ.bi.ə/. lapis is at rank #38,012, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlæpɪs/.

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 79737, this pair ranks #21,381 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of labia vs lapis

Shared letters: ail. Private to "labia": b. Private to "lapis": ps.

"labia" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "lapis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • labiaalbia · labai · labbia · laiba · lbaia · llabia
  • lapisalpis · laips · lapiss · lappis · lapsi · llapis · lpais

Frequency comparison

labia#41,725
lapis#38,012

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "labia" and "lapis" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈleɪ.bi.ə/ versus /ˈlæpɪs/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "labia" or "lapis"?
"lapis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,012 in our English list, against #41,725 for "labia". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering labia vs lapis

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “labia” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list