labour

/ˈleɪ.bə/

//ˈleɪ.bə// noun

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

"labour" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“labour” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,046. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,046
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An effort expended on a particular task; toil, work.

Corpus desk

Index EN-labour · labour · English

labour · rank #2,046 · 8 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,046
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH intended

Nearest frequency peer: intended (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “labour”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “labour” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

labour vs layout
67% similar
labour vs Latour
67% similar
labour vs labours
86% similar

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

Key facts for labour
PropertyValue
Headwordlabour
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈleɪ.bə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,046
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “labour”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).labourlands 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 “intended” (#2,045), “limit” (#2,047), “intelligence” (#2,044). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “labour” is #2,046. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around labour (IPA /ˈleɪ.bə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,046 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    An effort expended on a particular task; toil, work.
  2. 2
    That which requires hard work for its accomplishment; that which demands effort.
  3. 3
    Workers in general; the working class, the workforce; sometimes specifically the labour movement, organised labour.
  4. 4
    A political party or force aiming or claiming to represent the interests of labour.
  5. 5
    The act or process of a mother giving birth.
  6. 6
    The time period during which a mother gives birth.
  7. 7
    The pitching or tossing of a vessel which results in the straining of timbers and rigging.
  8. 8
    A traditional unit of area in Mexico and Texas, equivalent to 177.1 acres or 71.67 ha.
  9. 9
    A group of moles.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]So I ſet myſelf to enlarge my Cave and Works farther into the Earth; for it was a looſe ſandy Rock, which yielded eaſily to the Labour I beſtowed on it[…]
  2. Being a labour of so great difficulty, the exact performance thereof we may rather wish than look for.

Etymology

From Middle English labor, labour, labur, from Old French labor (modern labeur) and its etymon, Latin labor.

Synonyms

swinktoilworkquarter-section

This word in other languages

trabajo(Español)effort(Français)Arbeit(Deutsch)trabalho(Português)

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.

albour2labbour1laboru2labourr1labuor2laobur2lbaour2llabour1
Edit distance from "labour"

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 "labour"?
"labour" is spelled L-A-B-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈleɪ.bə/.
What does "labour" mean?
As a noun, "labour" means: An effort expended on a particular task; toil, work.
What words are commonly confused with "labour"?
"labour" is commonly confused with "layout", "Latour", "labours". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "labour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "labour" is /ˈleɪ.bə/. 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 "labour"?
From Middle English labor, labour, labur, from Old French labor (modern labeur) and its etymon, Latin labor. 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 "labour", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

forest#2,043Powers#2,050filled#2,041profit#2,051

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

ensure8 variantscrowd8 variantsbanks8 variantsbodies8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list