Which to use
“clac” is an onomatopoeia and “claque” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,310
- “clac” frequency rank
- #7,942
- “claque” frequency rank
- 44252
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clac | claque |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Onomatopée qui traduit un bruit sec et rapide. | Coup du plat de la main. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set clac and claque apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: clac and claque carry the same recorded pronunciation, \klak\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anonomatopoeia, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44252, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clac is recorded at frequency rank #36,310, classified as anonomatopoeia, pronounced \klak\. claque is at rank #7,942, tagged as anoun, pronounced \klak\.
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 44252, this pair ranks #211,901 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clac vs claque
Shared letters: acl. Private to "clac": -. Private to "claque": equ.
"clac" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "claque" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "clac" and "claque" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "clac" or "claque"?
Remembering clac vs claque
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an onomatopoeia, it's “clac”; for a noun, it's “claque”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “clac” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable