labia

/ˈleɪ.bi.ə/

//ˈleɪ.bi.ə// noun

"labia" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“labia” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #41,725 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#41,725
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The folds of tissue of the vulva, at either side of the vulval vestibule.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

labia vs lai
60% similar
labia vs laid
60% similar
labia vs lava
60% similar

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

Key facts for labia
PropertyValue
Headwordlabia
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈleɪ.bi.ə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#41,725
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “labia” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for labia is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈleɪ.bi.ə/. Corpus data places it at rank #41,725 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The folds of tissue of the vulva, at either side of the vulval vestibule.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for labia, with forms such as "albia", "labai", and "labbia". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lai", "laid", "lava", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from Latin labia (“lips”), plural of labium (“lip”). The correct English form is labia, spelled L-A-B-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The folds of tissue of the vulva, at either side of the vulval vestibule.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin labia (“lips”), plural of labium (“lip”).

Synonyms

beef curtainsbeef flapscunt lipsfanny flapslabeslipslower lipsmeat curtainsmeat flapsmud flapsnetherlipspetalspiss flapspussy lipsvertical lipswizard sleeve

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: albia,labai,labbia,laiba,lbaia,llabia

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of labia - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

albia2labai2labbia1laiba2lbaia2llabia1
Edit distance from "labia"

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 "labia"?
"labia" is spelled L-A-B-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈleɪ.bi.ə/.
What does "labia" mean?
As a noun, "labia" means: The folds of tissue of the vulva, at either side of the vulval vestibule.
What words are commonly confused with "labia"?
"labia" is commonly confused with "lai", "laid", "lava". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "labia"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "labia" is /ˈleɪ.bi.ə/. 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 "labia"?
Unadapted borrowing from Latin labia (“lips”), plural of labium (“lip”). 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.

Using “labia”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is L-A-B-I-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈleɪ.bi.ə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “lai” - see the side-by-side comparison. labia vs lai
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

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