Which to use
“labor” and “labour” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,763
- “labor” frequency rank
- #2,046
- “labour” frequency rank
- 3809
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | labor | labour |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative spelling of labour. | An effort expended on a particular task; toil, work. |
Where the eye mixes labor and labour
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. labor runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against labour's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between labor and labour
A purely visual mix-up. labor (/ˈleɪ.bɚ/) and labour (/ˈleɪ.bə/) 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 3809, 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/. labour is at rank #2,046, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈleɪ.bə/.
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 3809, this pair ranks #520,921 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of labor vs labour
Shared letters: ablor. Private to "labor": -. Private to "labour": u.
"labor" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "labour" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "labor" and "labour" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "labor" vs "labour" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "labor" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "labour" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #520,921 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "labor" and "labour" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "labor vs laver". 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 #520,921 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.