labsvsloboWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,240
“labs” frequency rank
#49,770
“lobo” frequency rank
80010
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature labs lobo
Definition Pluriel de lab. Loup.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
labs
4 ch
lobo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. labs (\læbz\) and lobo (\ˈlo.bo\) 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 80010, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

labs is recorded at frequency rank #30,240, classified as anoun, pronounced \læbz\. lobo is at rank #49,770, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈlo.bo\.

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 80010, this pair ranks #21,956 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of labs vs lobo

Shared letters: bl. Private to "labs": as. Private to "lobo": o.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • labsalbs · labbs · labss · lasb · lbas · llabs
  • lobolboo · llobo · lobbo · loob · olbo

Frequency comparison

labs#30,240
lobo#49,770

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "labs" and "lobo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\læbz\ versus \ˈlo.bo\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "labs" or "lobo"?
"labs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,240 in our French list, against #49,770 for "lobo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering labs vs lobo

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