Which to use
“caries” and “criss” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,190
- “caries” frequency rank
- #41,207
- “criss” frequency rank
- 79397
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | caries | criss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de carie. | Poignard dont la lame est parfois en zigzag à l’usage des Malais. |
Where the eye mixes caries and criss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. caries runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against criss's 5 (CCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses caries with criss
A purely visual mix-up. caries (\ka.ʁi\) and criss (\kʁis\) 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 79397, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
caries is recorded at frequency rank #38,190, classified as anoun, pronounced \ka.ʁi\. criss is at rank #41,207, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kʁis\.
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 79397, this pair ranks #23,393 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of caries vs criss
Shared letters: cirs. Private to "caries": ae. Private to "criss": -.
"caries" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "criss" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "caries" and "criss" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "caries" or "criss"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "caries" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "criss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #23,393 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "caries" and "criss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "caries vs carrez". 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 #23,393 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.