Which to use
“céda” is a verb and “cela” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,740
- “céda” frequency rank
- #150
- “cela” frequency rank
- 38890
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | céda | cela |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple du verbe céder. | Cette chose-là, par opposition à cette chose-ci. — Note d’usage : Pronom démonstratif neutre permettant de remplacer un objet distant (ou un être vivant dont on ignore la nature). En revanche (à l’inverse du pronom ceci), il ne remplace jamais une personne. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set céda and cela apart are highlighted. They share 2 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: céda is \se.da\ while cela is \sə.la\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38890, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
céda is recorded at frequency rank #38,740, classified as averb, pronounced \se.da\. cela is at rank #150, tagged as apron, pronounced \sə.la\.
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 38890, this pair ranks #252,072 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of céda vs cela
Shared letters: ac. Private to "céda": dé. Private to "cela": el.
"céda" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "cela" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- cela ← ccela · ceal · cella · clea · ecla
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "céda" and "cela" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "céda" or "cela"?
Remembering céda vs cela
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “céda”; for a pronoun, it's “cela”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “céda” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable