Which to use
“centre” and “cintre” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #344
- “centre” frequency rank
- #26,297
- “cintre” frequency rank
- 26641
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | centre | cintre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Point qui, dans un cercle ou une sphère, est à égale distance de tous les points de la circonférence de ce cercle ou de la surface de cette sphère. | Courbure en arcade, en demi-cercle. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set centre and cintre apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. centre (\sɑ̃tʁ\) and cintre (\sɛ̃tʁ\) 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 a single letter - e in “centre” becomes i in “cintre”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26641, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
centre is recorded at frequency rank #344, classified as anoun, pronounced \sɑ̃tʁ\. cintre is at rank #26,297, tagged as anoun, pronounced \sɛ̃tʁ\.
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 26641, this pair ranks #333,728 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of centre vs cintre
Shared letters: cenrt. Private to "centre": -. Private to "cintre": i.
"centre" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "cintre" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "centre" and "cintre" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "centre" or "cintre"?
Remembering centre vs cintre
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 “centre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable