chaussevschausséeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“chausse” and “chaussée” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#36,303
“chausse” frequency rank
#5,223
“chaussée” frequency rank
41526
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature chausse chaussée
Definition Sorte de bas constitué d’un tube de tissu ou de tricot qui monte jusqu’en haut des cuisses (répandu au Moyen Âge). → voir chausses Sorte de talus qu’on fait au bord d’une rivière, d’un étang, pour retenir l’eau.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set chausse and chaussée apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
chausse
8 ch
chaussée

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. chausse (\ʃos\) and chaussée (\ʃo.se\) 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 41526, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

chausse is recorded at frequency rank #36,303, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʃos\. chaussée is at rank #5,223, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʃo.se\.

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 41526, this pair ranks #232,444 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of chausse vs chaussée

Shared letters: acehsu. Private to "chausse": -. Private to "chaussée": é.

"chausse" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCCV  ·  "chaussée" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • chaussecahusse · cchausse · chasuse · chause · chauses · chhausse · chuasse · hcausse

Frequency comparison

chausse#36,303
chaussée#5,223

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "chausse" and "chaussée" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʃos\ versus \ʃo.se\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "chausse" or "chaussée"?
"chaussée" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,223 in our French list, against #36,303 for "chausse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering chausse vs chaussée

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 “chausse” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list