Which to use
“bans” and “bias” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,719
- “bans” frequency rank
- #45,472
- “bias” frequency rank
- 82191
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bans | bias |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de ban. | Préjugé, parti pris. |
Where the eye mixes bans and bias
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. bans (CVCC) and bias (CVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: bans vs bias
A purely visual mix-up. bans (\bɑ̃\) and bias (\ˈbaɪ.əs\) 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 82191, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bans is recorded at frequency rank #36,719, classified as anoun, pronounced \bɑ̃\. bias is at rank #45,472, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈbaɪ.əs\.
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 82191, this pair ranks #17,209 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bans vs bias
Shared letters: abs. Private to "bans": n. Private to "bias": i.
"bans" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "bias" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bans" and "bias" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "bans" vs "bias" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "bans" and "bias" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "bans" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bias" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #17,209 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bans" and "bias" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bias vs bihan". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #17,209 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.