Which to use
“atteinte” is a noun and “atténue” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,514
- “atteinte” frequency rank
- #33,988
- “atténue” frequency rank
- 37502
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | atteinte | atténue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Action d’atteindre ou résultat de cette action. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe atténuer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set atteinte and atténue apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: atteinte is \a.tɛ̃t\ while atténue is \a.te.ny\. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37502, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
atteinte is recorded at frequency rank #3,514, classified as anoun, pronounced \a.tɛ̃t\. atténue is at rank #33,988, tagged as averb, pronounced \a.te.ny\.
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 37502, this pair ranks #262,073 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of atteinte vs atténue
Shared letters: aent. Private to "atteinte": i. Private to "atténue": ué.
"atteinte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCCV · "atténue" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- atteinte ← ateinte · atetinte · atteinet · atteinnte · atteintte · atteitne · attenite · attiente
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "atteinte" and "atténue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "atteinte" or "atténue"?
Remembering atteinte vs atténue
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “atteinte”; for a verb, it's “atténue”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “atteinte” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable