capsulesvscrapulesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,086
“capsules” frequency rank
#47,819
“crapules” frequency rank
63905
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature capsules crapules
Definition Pluriel de capsule. Pluriel de crapule.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set capsules and crapules apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
capsules
8 ch
crapules

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. capsules (\kap.syl\) and crapules (\kʁa.pyl\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63905, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

capsules is recorded at frequency rank #16,086, classified as anoun, pronounced \kap.syl\. crapules is at rank #47,819, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kʁa.pyl\.

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 63905, this pair ranks #79,610 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of capsules vs crapules

Shared letters: acelpsu. Private to "capsules": -. Private to "crapules": r.

"capsules" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "crapules" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • capsulesacpsules · cappsules · capslues · capssules · capsuels · capsuless · capsulles · capsulse
  • crapulescarpules · ccrapules · craplues · crappules · crapuels · crapuless · crapulles · crapulse

Frequency comparison

capsules#16,086
crapules#47,819

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "capsules" and "crapules" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\kap.syl\ versus \kʁa.pyl\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "capsules" or "crapules"?
"capsules" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,086 in our French list, against #47,819 for "crapules". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering capsules vs crapules

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 “capsules” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list