lapelvsLavalWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lapel is a noun, Laval is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lapel” is a noun and “Laval” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#38,470
“lapel” frequency rank
#37,063
“Laval” frequency rank
75533
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lapel Laval
Definition 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. A placename:

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
lapel
5 ch
Laval

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: lapel is anoun and Lavalaname. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75533, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lapel is recorded at frequency rank #38,470, classified as anoun, pronounced /ləˈpɛl/. Laval is at rank #37,063, tagged as aname.

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 75533, this pair ranks #32,826 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lapel vs Laval

Shared letters: al. Private to "lapel": ep. Private to "Laval": v.

"lapel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Laval" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lapelalpel · laepl · lapell · laple · lappel · llapel · lpael
  • Lavalalval · laavl · lavall · lavla · lavval · llaval · lvaal

Frequency comparison

lapel#38,470
Laval#37,063

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lapel" and "Laval" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lapel" is a noun and "Laval" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lapel" or "Laval"?
"Laval" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #37,063 in our English list, against #38,470 for "lapel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lapel vs Laval

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “lapel”; for a name, it's “Laval”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lapel” 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