algèbrevsaltéréTell them apart

Quick tell: algèbre is a noun, altéré is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“algèbre” is a noun and “altéré” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,839
“algèbre” frequency rank
#26,954
“altéré” frequency rank
48793
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature algèbre altéré
Definition Branche des mathématiques qui étudie les structures algébriques, hors des notions de limite (rattachée à l’analyse) et de représentation graphique (concernant la géométrie). Assoiffé.

Where the eye mixes algèbre and altéré

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. algèbre runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against altéré's 6 (VCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
algèbre
6 ch
altéré

Why the eye confuses algèbre with altéré

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: algèbre is \al.ʒɛbʁ\ while altéré is \al.te.ʁe\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48793, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

algèbre is recorded at frequency rank #21,839, classified as anoun, pronounced \al.ʒɛbʁ\. altéré is at rank #26,954, tagged as anadj, pronounced \al.te.ʁe\.

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 48793, this pair ranks #175,994 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of algèbre vs altéré

Shared letters: alr. Private to "algèbre": begè. Private to "altéré": té.

"algèbre" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "altéré" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "algèbre" and "altéré" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "algèbre" is a noun and "altéré" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary French text, does "algèbre" or "altéré" show up more?
"algèbre" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,839 in our French list, against #26,954 for "altéré". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "algèbre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "altéré" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #175,994 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "algèbre" and "altéré" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "actée vs altéré". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #175,994 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