Which to use
“caractères” and “cratères” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,315
- “caractères” frequency rank
- #38,233
- “cratères” frequency rank
- 42548
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | caractères | cratères |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de caractère. | Pluriel de cratère. |
Where the eye mixes caractères and cratères
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. caractères runs 10 letters (CVCVCCVCVC) against cratères's 8 (CCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: caractères vs cratères
A purely visual mix-up. caractères (\ka.ʁak.tɛʁ\) and cratères (\kʁa.tɛʁ\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42548, 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\. cratères is at rank #38,233, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kʁa.tɛʁ\.
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 42548, this pair ranks #224,749 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of caractères vs cratères
Shared letters: acerstè. Private to "caractères": -. Private to "cratères": -.
"caractères" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC · "cratères" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "caractères" for "cratères" ever safe?
Which is more common, "caractères" or "cratères"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "caractères" and "cratères" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "caractères" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cratères" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #224,749 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "caractères" and "cratères" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cratère vs cratères". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #224,749 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.