labour
/ˈleɪ.bə/
"labour" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“labour” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,046 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #2,046
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 8
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An effort expended on a particular task; toil, work.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | labour |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈleɪ.bə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #2,046 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 8 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “labour” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for labour is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈleɪ.bə/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,046 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for labour, with forms such as "albour", "labbour", and "laboru". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "layout", "Latour", "labours", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English labor, labour, labur, from Old French labor (modern labeur) and its etymon, Latin labor. The correct English form is labour, spelled L-A-B-O-U-R.
Definition
- 1An effort expended on a particular task; toil, work.
- 2That which requires hard work for its accomplishment; that which demands effort.
- 3Workers in general; the working class, the workforce; sometimes specifically the labour movement, organised labour.
- 4A political party or force aiming or claiming to represent the interests of labour.
- 5The act or process of a mother giving birth.
- 6The time period during which a mother gives birth.
- 7The pitching or tossing of a vessel which results in the straining of timbers and rigging.
- 8A traditional unit of area in Mexico and Texas, equivalent to 177.1 acres or 71.67 ha.
- 9A group of moles.
Etymology
From Middle English labor, labour, labur, from Old French labor (modern labeur) and its etymon, Latin labor.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: albour,labbour,laboru,labourr,labuor,laobur,lbaour,llabour
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of labour - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “labour”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-A-B-O-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈleɪ.bə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “layout” - see the side-by-side comparison. labour vs layout
- 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.