labialesvslaboralesWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#42,526
“labiales” frequency rank
#3,795
“laborales” frequency rank
46321
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature labiales laborales
Definition Forma del plural de labial. Forma del plural de laboral.

Where the eye mixes labiales and laborales

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. labiales runs 8 letters (CVCVVCVC) against laborales's 9 (CVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
labiales
9 ch
laborales

Why the eye confuses labiales with laborales

A purely visual mix-up. labiales ([laˈβ̞jales]) and laborales ([laβ̞oˈɾales]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46321, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

labiales is recorded at frequency rank #42,526, classified as anadj, pronounced [laˈβ̞jales]. laborales is at rank #3,795, tagged as anadj, pronounced [laβ̞oˈɾales].

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 46321, this pair ranks #126,400 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of labiales vs laborales

Shared letters: abels. Private to "labiales": i. Private to "laborales": or.

"labiales" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "laborales" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • labiales ← albiales · labailes · labbiales · labiaels · labialess · labialles · labialse · labilaes
  • laborales ← alborales · labborales · laboarles · laboraels · laboraless · laboralles · laboralse · laborlaes

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "labiales" for "laborales" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([laˈβ̞jales] versus [laβ̞oˈɾales]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "labiales" or "laborales"?
"laborales" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,795 in our Spanish list, against #42,526 for "labiales". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "labiales" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "laborales" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #126,400 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "labiales" and "laborales" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "labial vs labiales". 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 #126,400 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