Which to use
“ath” is an article and “axe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,830
- “ath” frequency rank
- #3,316
- “axe” frequency rank
- 35146
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ath | axe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Contraction de la préposition a et de l'article défini eth. | Pièce de fer ou de bois qui passe par le centre d’un corps et qui sert à faire tourner ce corps sur lui-même. |
Where the eye mixes ath and axe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ath and axe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ath is \at\ while axe is \aks\. 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 (article vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35146, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ath is recorded at frequency rank #31,830, classified as anarticle, pronounced \at\. axe is at rank #3,316, tagged as anoun, pronounced \aks\.
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 35146, this pair ranks #278,822 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ath vs axe
Shared letters: a. Private to "ath": ht. Private to "axe": ex.
"ath" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "axe" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ath" for "axe" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ath" vs "axe" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ath" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "axe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #278,822 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ath" and "axe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ath vs aur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #278,822 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.