Which to use
“cloche” and “clocher” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,690
- “cloche” frequency rank
- #14,224
- “clocher” frequency rank
- 20914
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cloche | clocher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Instrument fait de métal, ordinairement de bronze, creux, ouvert, qui va en s’élargissant par en bas et dont on tire du son au moyen d’un battant suspendu à l’intérieur ou à l’aide d’un marteau extérieur. | Bâtiment de maçonnerie ou de charpente dans lequel sont suspendues les cloches et qui est ordinairement élevé au-dessus d’une église. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cloche and clocher apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
cloche and clocher form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “cloche” sits inside “clocher” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20914, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cloche is recorded at frequency rank #6,690, classified as anoun, pronounced \klɔʃ\. clocher is at rank #14,224, 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 20914, this pair ranks #365,853 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cloche" and "clocher" be used interchangeably?
Remembering cloche vs clocher
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 “cloche” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable