Which to use
“ample” is an adjective and “ampoule” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,613
- “ample” frequency rank
- #12,902
- “ampoule” frequency rank
- 30515
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ample | ampoule |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui dépasse en largeur et en longueur la mesure ordinaire. | Récipient en verre, sorte de fiole, à col effilé. |
Where the eye mixes ample and ampoule
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ample with ampoule
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ample is \ɑ̃pl\ while ampoule is \ɑ̃.pul\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30515, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ample is recorded at frequency rank #17,613, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɑ̃pl\. ampoule is at rank #12,902, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɑ̃.pul\.
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 30515, this pair ranks #309,808 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ample vs ampoule
Shared letters: aelmp. Private to "ample": -. Private to "ampoule": ou.
"ample" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV · "ampoule" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ample" and "ampoule" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ample" or "ampoule"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ample" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ampoule" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #309,808 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ample" and "ampoule" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ampère vs ample". 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 #309,808 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.