basilicvsbasiliqueWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“basilic” and “basilique” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#23,462
“basilic” frequency rank
#11,916
“basilique” frequency rank
35378
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature basilic basilique
Definition 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. Édifice public couvert, généralement de forme rectangulaire, divisé en plusieurs nefs par des colonnades et terminé par une abside, qui était affecté à divers usages : justice, commerce, etc.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set basilic and basilique apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
basilic
9 ch
basilique

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. basilic and basilique are pronounced identically (\ba.zi.lik\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35378, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

basilic is recorded at frequency rank #23,462, classified as anoun, pronounced \ba.zi.lik\. basilique is at rank #11,916, 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 35378, this pair ranks #277,166 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of basilic vs basilique

Shared letters: abils. Private to "basilic": c. Private to "basilique": equ.

"basilic" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "basilique" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • basilicabsilic · baislic · basiilc · basilci · basilicc · basillic · basliic · bassilic
  • basiliqueabsilique · baislique · basiilque · basiliqeu · basiliqque · basiliuqe · basillique · basilqiue

Frequency comparison

basilic#23,462
basilique#11,916

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "basilic" and "basilique" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\ba.zi.lik\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.
Which is more common, "basilic" or "basilique"?
"basilique" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,916 in our French list, against #23,462 for "basilic". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering basilic vs basilique

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 “basilic” 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