bataillevsbataillerConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#1,650
“bataille” frequency rank
#41,668
“batailler” frequency rank
43318
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bataille batailler
Definition Combat général ordonné entre deux armées. → voir champ de bataille, cheval de bataille, plan de bataille, bataille navale, bataille aérienne, en ordre de bataille et … Livrer combat, livrer bataille.

Where the eye mixes bataille and batailler

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

8 ch
bataille
9 ch
batailler

Visual trap between bataille and batailler

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bataille is \ba.tɑj\ while batailler is \ba.tɑ.je\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “bataille” sits inside “batailler”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43318, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bataille is recorded at frequency rank #1,650, classified as anoun, pronounced \ba.tɑj\. batailler is at rank #41,668, tagged as averb, pronounced \ba.tɑ.je\.

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 43318, this pair ranks #218,990 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bataille vs batailler

Shared letters: abeilt. Private to "bataille": -. Private to "batailler": r.

"bataille" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV  ·  "batailler" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • batailleabtaille · baatille · bataile · batailel · batalile · batialle · battaille · bbataille
  • bataillerabtailler · baatiller · batailelr · batailer · bataillerr · bataillre · bataliler · batialler

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "bataille" and "batailler" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "bataille" is a noun and "batailler" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "bataille" vs "batailler" - which ranks higher?
"bataille" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,650 in our French list, against #41,668 for "batailler". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "bataille" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "batailler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #218,990 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bataille" and "batailler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "batailler vs brailler". 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 #218,990 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list