Which to use
“labor” and “labors” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,763
- “labor” frequency rank
- #36,637
- “labors” frequency rank
- 38400
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | labor | labors |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative spelling of labour. | plural of labor |
Where the eye mixes labor and labors
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses labor with labors
A purely visual mix-up. labor (/ˈleɪ.bɚ/) and labors (/ˈleɪbɚz/) 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 extra letter(s) - “labor” sits inside “labors”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38400, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
labor is recorded at frequency rank #1,763, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈleɪ.bɚ/. labors is at rank #36,637, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈleɪbɚz/.
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 38400, this pair ranks #286,235 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of labor vs labors
Shared letters: ablor. Private to "labor": -. Private to "labors": s.
"labor" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "labors" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "labor" for "labors" ever safe?
Frequency check: "labor" vs "labors" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "labor" and "labors" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "labor" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "labors" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #286,235 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "labor" and "labors" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "labors vs labours". 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 #286,235 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.