Which to use
“labs” and “lis” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,642
- “labs” frequency rank
- #20,413
- “lis” frequency rank
- 57055
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | labs | lis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de lab. | (Iris) Planta de la familia de las irídeas, formada por tallos que miden generalmente entre cinco y seis decímetros de largo, con hojas ensiformes que tienen cerca de la mitad de esa longitud, y que terminan en flores de gran tamaño, con seis pétalos de vivos colores, generalmente morado, azul o blanco. |
Where the eye mixes labs and lis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses labs with lis
A purely visual mix-up. labs (/læbz/) and lis ([ˈlis]) 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 57055, 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/. lis is at rank #20,413, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlis].
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 57055, this pair ranks #72,049 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of labs vs lis
Shared letters: ls. Private to "labs": ab. Private to "lis": i.
"labs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lis" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- labs ← albs · labbs · labss · lasb · lavs · llabs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "labs" for "lis" ever safe?
Which is more common, "labs" or "lis"?
After this comparison
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 "lis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #72,049 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "labs" and "lis" 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 #72,049 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.