Which to use
“cesser” and “creuser” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,219
- “cesser” frequency rank
- #7,676
- “creuser” frequency rank
- 12895
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cesser | creuser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Discontinuer ; arrêter ; finir ; interrompre ; terminer. | Faire un trou, un orifice, un canal, etc. |
Where the eye mixes cesser and creuser
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. cesser runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against creuser's 7 (CCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between cesser and creuser
A purely visual mix-up. cesser (\se.se\) and creuser (\kʁø.ze\) 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 12895, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cesser is recorded at frequency rank #5,219, classified as averb, pronounced \se.se\. creuser is at rank #7,676, tagged as averb, pronounced \kʁø.ze\.
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 12895, this pair ranks #403,298 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cesser vs creuser
Shared letters: cers. Private to "cesser": -. Private to "creuser": u.
"cesser" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "creuser" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cesser" and "creuser" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cesser" or "creuser"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cesser" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "creuser" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #403,298 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cesser" and "creuser" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "creuser vs cruiser". 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 #403,298 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.