bâtissesvsbêtisesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,683
“bâtisses” frequency rank
#9,614
“bêtises” frequency rank
49297
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bâtisses bêtises
Definition Pluriel de bâtisse. Pluriel de bêtise.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
bâtisses
7 ch
bêtises

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bâtisses (\bɑ.tis\) and bêtises (\be.tiz\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49297, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bâtisses is recorded at frequency rank #39,683, classified as anoun, pronounced \bɑ.tis\. bêtises is at rank #9,614, tagged as anoun, pronounced \be.tiz\.

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 49297, this pair ranks #171,838 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bâtisses vs bêtises

Shared letters: beist. Private to "bâtisses": â. Private to "bêtises": ê.

"bâtisses" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "bêtises" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

bâtisses#39,683
bêtises#9,614

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bâtisses" and "bêtises" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\bɑ.tis\ versus \be.tiz\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bâtisses" or "bêtises"?
"bêtises" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,614 in our French list, against #39,683 for "bâtisses". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bâtisses vs bêtises

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 “bâtisses” 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