Which to use
“alone” is an adjective and “atome” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,524
- “alone” frequency rank
- #15,092
- “atome” frequency rank
- 36616
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alone | atome |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Seul, tout seul, solitaire. | Composant de la matière, plus petite partie d’un corps simple pouvant se combiner avec une autre. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alone and atome apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alone is [ə.ˈloʊn] while atome is \a.tom\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36616, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alone is recorded at frequency rank #21,524, classified as anadj, pronounced [ə.ˈloʊn]. atome is at rank #15,092, tagged as anoun, pronounced \a.tom\.
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 36616, this pair ranks #268,338 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alone vs atome
Shared letters: aeo. Private to "alone": ln. Private to "atome": mt.
"alone" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "atome" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alone" and "atome" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "alone" or "atome"?
Remembering alone vs atome
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “alone”; for a noun, it's “atome”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alone” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable