chiffresvscoffresWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,434
“chiffres” frequency rank
#14,636
“coffres” frequency rank
16070
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature chiffres coffres
Definition Pluriel de chiffre. Pluriel de coffre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set chiffres and coffres apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
chiffres
7 ch
coffres

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. chiffres (\ʃifʁ\) and coffres (\kɔfʁ\) 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 16070, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

chiffres is recorded at frequency rank #1,434, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʃifʁ\. coffres is at rank #14,636, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kɔfʁ\.

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 16070, this pair ranks #389,527 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of chiffres vs coffres

Shared letters: cefrs. Private to "chiffres": hi. Private to "coffres": o.

"chiffres" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC  ·  "coffres" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • chiffrescchiffres · chfifres · chhiffres · chiffers · chiffress · chiffrres · chiffrse · chifres
  • coffresccoffres · cfofres · coffers · coffress · coffrres · coffrse · cofres · cofrfes

Frequency comparison

chiffres#1,434
coffres#14,636

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "chiffres" and "coffres" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʃifʁ\ versus \kɔfʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "chiffres" or "coffres"?
"chiffres" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,434 in our French list, against #14,636 for "coffres". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering chiffres vs coffres

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 “chiffres” 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