labsvslacaConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#36,642
“labs” frequency rank
#38,780
“laca” frequency rank
75422
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature labs laca
Definition Forma del plural de lab. Barniz, cubierta de maderas y otros materiales.

Where the eye mixes labs and laca

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. labs (CVCC) and laca (CVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

4 ch
labs
4 ch
laca

Why the eye confuses labs with laca

A purely visual mix-up. labs (/læbz/) and laca ([ˈlaka]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75422, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

labs is recorded at frequency rank #36,642, classified as anoun, pronounced /læbz/. laca is at rank #38,780, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaka].

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 75422, this pair ranks #19,577 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of labs vs laca

Shared letters: al. Private to "labs": bs. Private to "laca": c.

"labs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "laca" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • labs ← albs · labbs · labss · lasb · lavs · llabs
  • laca ← alca · laac · lacca · lcaa · llaca

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "labs" for "laca" ever safe?
No. They are said differently (/læbz/ versus [ˈlaka]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "labs" or "laca"?
"labs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,642 in our Spanish list, against #38,780 for "laca". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "labs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "laca" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #19,577 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "labs" and "laca" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "laca vs Lyra". 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 #19,577 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