Which to use
“labs” and “lay” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,642
- “labs” frequency rank
- #35,585
- “lay” frequency rank
- 72227
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | labs | lay |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de lab. | Composición poética medieval de los provenzales y de los franceses, destinada a relatar una leyenda o historia de amores, generalmente en versos cortos. |
Where the eye mixes labs and lay
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses labs with lay
A purely visual mix-up. labs (/læbz/) and lay ([ˈlaj]) 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 72227, 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/. lay is at rank #35,585, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaj].
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 72227, this pair ranks #25,824 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of labs vs lay
Shared letters: al. Private to "labs": bs. Private to "lay": y.
"labs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lay" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- labs ← albs · labbs · labss · lasb · lavs · llabs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "labs" for "lay" ever safe?
Frequency check: "labs" vs "lay" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "lay" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #25,824 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "labs" and "lay" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "labs vs lies". 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 #25,824 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.