Which to use
“attaché” is an adjective and “attacher” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,308
- “attaché” frequency rank
- #6,927
- “attacher” frequency rank
- 11235
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | attaché | attacher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fixé, lié. | Fixer une chose ou une personne à une autre, en sorte qu’elle y tienne. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set attaché and attacher apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: attaché and attacher carry the same recorded pronunciation, \a.ta.ʃe\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11235, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
attaché is recorded at frequency rank #4,308, classified as anadj, pronounced \a.ta.ʃe\. attacher is at rank #6,927, tagged as averb, pronounced \a.ta.ʃe\.
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 11235, this pair ranks #409,914 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of attaché vs attacher
Shared letters: acht. Private to "attaché": é. Private to "attacher": er.
"attaché" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "attacher" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- attacher ← atacher · atatcher · attaccher · attacehr · attacherr · attachher · attachre · attahcer
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "attaché" and "attacher" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "attaché" or "attacher"?
Remembering attaché vs attacher
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “attaché”; for a verb, it's “attacher”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “attaché” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable