Which to use
“code” and “cosa” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #818
- “code” frequency rank
- #46,679
- “cosa” frequency rank
- 47497
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | code | cosa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ensemble de lois ou d’ordonnances relatives à une matière spéciale ou réunies par le législateur. | Variante du IXᵉ siècle de chose. |
Where the eye mixes code and cosa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses code with cosa
A purely visual mix-up. code (\kɔd\) and cosa (\ˈkɔza ~ˈkɔzə\) 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 47497, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
code is recorded at frequency rank #818, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔd\. cosa is at rank #46,679, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈkɔza ~ˈkɔzə\.
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 47497, this pair ranks #186,494 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of code vs cosa
Shared letters: co. Private to "code": de. Private to "cosa": as.
"code" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "cosa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "code" and "cosa" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "code" or "cosa"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "code" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cosa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #186,494 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "code" and "cosa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cosa vs coupa". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #186,494 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.