labialvslabialesTell them apart

Which to use

“labial” and “labiales” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#23,115
“labial” frequency rank
#42,526
“labiales” frequency rank
65641
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature labial labiales
Definition Propio de o relativo a los labios. Forma del plural de labial.

Where the eye mixes labial and labiales

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. labial runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against labiales's 8 (CVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
labial
8 ch
labiales

Look-alike desk: labial vs labiales

A purely visual mix-up. labial ([laˈβ̞jal]) and labiales ([laˈβ̞jales]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “labial” sits inside “labiales”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65641, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

labial is recorded at frequency rank #23,115, classified as anadj, pronounced [laˈβ̞jal]. labiales is at rank #42,526, tagged as anadj, pronounced [laˈβ̞jales].

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 65641, this pair ranks #42,048 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of labial vs labiales

Shared letters: abil. Private to "labial": -. Private to "labiales": es.

"labial" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "labiales" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • labial ← albial · labail · labbial · labiall · labila · laibal · lavial · lbaial
  • labiales ← albiales · labailes · labbiales · labiaels · labialess · labialles · labialse · labilaes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "labial" and "labiales" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([laˈβ̞jal] versus [laˈβ̞jales]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "labial" vs "labiales" - which ranks higher?
"labial" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,115 in our Spanish list, against #42,526 for "labiales". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "labial" and "labiales" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "labial" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "labiales" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #42,048 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "labial" and "labiales" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Labia vs labial". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #42,048 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list