bakvsbranWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: bak is a verb, bran is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“bak” is a verb and “bran” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#46,599
“bak” frequency rank
#34,907
“bran” frequency rank
81506
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bak bran
Definition Forme mutée de pak par adoucissement (p → b). Partie la plus grossière du son de céréale.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bak and bran apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
bak
4 ch
bran

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bak is \ˈbakː\ while bran is \bʁɑ̃\. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81506, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bak is recorded at frequency rank #46,599, classified as averb, pronounced \ˈbakː\. bran is at rank #34,907, tagged as anoun, pronounced \bʁɑ̃\.

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 81506, this pair ranks #18,609 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bak vs bran

Shared letters: ab. Private to "bak": k. Private to "bran": nr.

"bak" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "bran" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • branbarn · bbran · brann · brna · brran · rban

Frequency comparison

bak#46,599
bran#34,907

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bak" and "bran" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "bak" is a verb and "bran" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "bak" or "bran"?
"bran" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,907 in our French list, against #46,599 for "bak". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bak vs bran

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “bak”; for a noun, it's “bran”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bak” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list