lab

/læb/

//læb// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"lab" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lab” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #3,506) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#3,506
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A laboratory.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lab · lab · English

lab · rank #3,506 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,506
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH kit

Nearest frequency peer: kit (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “lab”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “lab” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

lab vs le
33% similar
lab vs li
33% similar
lab vs Lt
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for lab
PropertyValue
Headwordlab
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/læb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#3,506
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “lab”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).lablands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “kit” (#3,505), “languages” (#3,507), “judges” (#3,504). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lab” is #3,506. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for lab is neighbouring look-alikes ("le", "li", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /læb/. Frequency #3,506 among 2,297 “L” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

lab doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "le", "li", "Lt", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of laboratory, from labor + -ate + -ory. The correct English form is lab, spelled L-A-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A laboratory.
  2. 2
    Laboratory experiment, test, investigation or result.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how lab appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I was working in the lab late one night When my eyes beheld an eerie sight For my monster, from his slab, began to rise And suddenly, to my surprise He did the Mash He did the Monster Mash.
  2. A man dressed as a lab tech, his blue scrubs startlingly pale against the vivid red and black chaos, moved into sight from behind the SUV. He carried an assault rifle.

Etymology

Clipping of laboratory, from labor + -ate + -ory.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lab"?
"lab" is spelled L-A-B. The IPA pronunciation is /læb/.
What does "lab" mean?
As a noun, "lab" means: A laboratory.
What words are commonly confused with "lab"?
"lab" is commonly confused with "le", "li", "Lt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lab"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lab" is /læb/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "lab"?
Clipping of laboratory, from labor + -ate + -ory. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "lab", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

kit#3,505min#3,509odd#3,515mum#3,573

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list