Which to use
“caractères” is a noun and “caractérise” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,315
- “caractères” frequency rank
- #7,666
- “caractérise” frequency rank
- 11981
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | caractères | caractérise |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de caractère. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe caractériser. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set caractères and caractérise apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: caractères is \ka.ʁak.tɛʁ\ while caractérise is \ka.ʁak.te.ʁiz\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11981, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
caractères is recorded at frequency rank #4,315, classified as anoun, pronounced \ka.ʁak.tɛʁ\. caractérise is at rank #7,666, tagged as averb, pronounced \ka.ʁak.te.ʁiz\.
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 11981, this pair ranks #407,036 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of caractères vs caractérise
Shared letters: acerst. Private to "caractères": è. Private to "caractérise": ié.
"caractères" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC · "caractérise" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "caractères" and "caractérise" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "caractères" or "caractérise"?
Remembering caractères vs caractérise
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “caractères”; for a verb, it's “caractérise”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “caractères” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable