labsvslensWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,642
“labs” frequency rank
#47,908
“lens” frequency rank
84550
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature labs lens
Definition Forma del plural de lab. Lente.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set labs and lens apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
labs
4 ch
lens

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. labs (/læbz/) and lens (/lɛnz/) 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 84550, 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/. lens is at rank #47,908, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɛnz/.

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 84550, this pair ranks #6,952 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of labs vs lens

Shared letters: ls. Private to "labs": ab. Private to "lens": en.

"labs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "lens" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • labsalbs · labbs · labss · lasb · lavs · llabs
  • lenselns · lenns · lenss · lesn · llens · lnes

Frequency comparison

labs#36,642
lens#47,908

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "labs" and "lens" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/læbz/ versus /lɛnz/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "labs" or "lens"?
"labs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,642 in our Spanish list, against #47,908 for "lens". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering labs vs lens

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “labs” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list