clochardvsclochersWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,152
“clochard” frequency rank
#30,097
“clochers” frequency rank
54249
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature clochard clochers
Definition Personne sans domicile fixe qui mène une vie de mendicité, qui refuse les contraintes sociales ou est contrainte à la misère. Pluriel de clocher.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
clochard
8 ch
clochers

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. clochard (\klɔ.ʃaʁ\) and clochers (\klɔ.ʃe\) 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 54249, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

clochard is recorded at frequency rank #24,152, classified as anoun, pronounced \klɔ.ʃaʁ\. clochers is at rank #30,097, tagged as anoun, pronounced \klɔ.ʃe\.

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 54249, this pair ranks #135,267 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of clochard vs clochers

Shared letters: chlor. Private to "clochard": ad. Private to "clochers": es.

"clochard" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC  ·  "clochers" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • clochardcclochard · clcohard · cllochard · clocahrd · clocchard · clochadr · clochardd · clocharrd
  • clocherscclochers · clcohers · cllochers · clocchers · clocehrs · clocherrs · clocherss · clochesr

Frequency comparison

clochard#24,152
clochers#30,097

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "clochard" and "clochers" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\klɔ.ʃaʁ\ versus \klɔ.ʃe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "clochard" or "clochers"?
"clochard" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,152 in our French list, against #30,097 for "clochers". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering clochard vs clochers

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 “clochard” 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