Which to use
“basil” and “basilic” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,195
- “basil” frequency rank
- #23,462
- “basilic” frequency rank
- 60657
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | basil | basilic |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Basilic (Ocimum basilicum). | Nom donné à diverses plantes annuelles ou perennes du genre Ocimum, de la famille des Lamiacées (Lamiaceae) dont certaines espèces sont utilisées et cultivées comme plantes aromatiques et condimentaires. Ce nom est aussi parfois donné à d’autres plantes aromatiques proches, de la même famille mais d’un genre différent. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set basil and basilic apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
basil and basilic form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “basil” sits inside “basilic” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60657, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
basil is recorded at frequency rank #37,195, classified as anoun, pronounced \ˈbæz.əl\. basilic is at rank #23,462, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ba.zi.lik\.
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 60657, this pair ranks #96,480 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "basil" and "basilic" be used interchangeably?
Remembering basil vs basilic
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “basil” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable