cochevscrècheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,154
“coche” frequency rank
#12,349
“crèche” frequency rank
36503
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature coche crèche
Definition Ancien chariot couvert dont le corps n’était pas suspendu et dans lequel on voyageait. Mangeoire des bœufs, des brebis et autres animaux semblables.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set coche and crèche apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
coche
6 ch
crèche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. coche (\kɔʃ\) and crèche (\kʁɛʃ\) 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 36503, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

coche is recorded at frequency rank #24,154, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔʃ\. crèche is at rank #12,349, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kʁɛʃ\.

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 36503, this pair ranks #269,126 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of coche vs crèche

Shared letters: ceh. Private to "coche": o. Private to "crèche": .

"coche" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "crèche" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cocheccoche · ccohe · cocche · coceh · cochhe · cohce · ocche

Frequency comparison

coche#24,154
crèche#12,349

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "coche" and "crèche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\kɔʃ\ versus \kʁɛʃ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "coche" or "crèche"?
"crèche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,349 in our French list, against #24,154 for "coche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering coche vs crèche

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 “coche” 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