Which to use
“ban” and “ber” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,466
- “ban” frequency rank
- #48,940
- “ber” frequency rank
- 55406
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ban | ber |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Proclamation pour ordonner ou défendre quelque chose. | Appareil de charpente et de cordage, placé sous un grand bâtiment, pour le supporter pendant la construction ou la réparation, et qui glisse sur la cale lorsqu’on lance ce bâtiment à l’eau. |
Where the eye mixes ban and ber
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ban vs ber
A purely visual mix-up. ban (\bɑ̃\) and ber (\bɛʁ\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55406, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ban is recorded at frequency rank #6,466, classified as anoun, pronounced \bɑ̃\. ber is at rank #48,940, tagged as anoun, pronounced \bɛʁ\.
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 55406, this pair ranks #127,653 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ban vs ber
Shared letters: b. Private to "ban": an. Private to "ber": er.
"ban" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "ber" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ban" and "ber" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "ban" or "ber" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ban" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ber" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #127,653 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ban" and "ber" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ber vs bury". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #127,653 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.