labelsvslabsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,771
“labels” frequency rank
#30,240
“labs” frequency rank
51011
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature labels labs
Definition Pluriel de label. Pluriel de lab.

Where the eye mixes labels and labs

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
labels
4 ch
labs

Visual trap between labels and labs

A purely visual mix-up. labels (\la.bɛl\) and labs (\læbz\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51011, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

labels is recorded at frequency rank #20,771, classified as anoun, pronounced \la.bɛl\. labs is at rank #30,240, tagged as anoun, pronounced \læbz\.

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 51011, this pair ranks #158,254 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of labels vs labs

Shared letters: abls. Private to "labels": e. Private to "labs": -.

"labels" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "labs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • labelsalbels · labbels · labells · labelss · labesl · lables · laebls · lbaels
  • labsalbs · labbs · labss · lasb · lbas · llabs

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "labels" and "labs" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (\la.bɛl\ versus \læbz\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "labels" or "labs"?
"labels" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,771 in our French list, against #30,240 for "labs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "labels" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "labs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #158,254 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "labels" and "labs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "labs vs lobo". 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 #158,254 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list