Which to use
“CHF” and “clé” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,022
- “CHF” frequency rank
- #1,987
- “clé” frequency rank
- 36009
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | CHF | clé |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | CHF\tse:,haː,ɛf\masculin | Instrument de métal que l’on introduit dans une serrure pour ouvrir ou fermer un accès. Ancienne clé à panneton que l'on place et fait tourner dans la serrure d'une porte, d'un coffre, etc. |
Where the eye mixes CHF and clé
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: CHF vs clé
A purely visual mix-up. CHF (\tse:,haː,ɛf\) and clé (\kle\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36009, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
CHF is recorded at frequency rank #34,022, classified as anoun, pronounced \tse:,haː,ɛf\. clé is at rank #1,987, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kle\.
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 36009, this pair ranks #272,642 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of CHF vs clé
Shared letters: c. Private to "CHF": fh. Private to "clé": lé.
"CHF" · 3 letters · shape CCC · "clé" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "CHF" and "clé" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "CHF" or "clé" show up more?
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 "CHF" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clé" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #272,642 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "CHF" and "clé" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "CCE vs CHF". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #272,642 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.