Which to use
“cogné” is a verb and “cygne” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,008
- “cogné” frequency rank
- #19,252
- “cygne” frequency rank
- 46260
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cogné | cygne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participe passé masculin singulier du verbe cogner. | Gros oiseau palmipède, aquatique, dont le plumage est d’ordinaire blanc et qui a un cou long et souple. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cogné and cygne apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
cogné and cygne form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46260, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cogné is recorded at frequency rank #27,008, classified as averb, pronounced \kɔ.ɲe\. cygne is at rank #19,252, tagged as anoun, pronounced \siɲ\.
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 46260, this pair ranks #196,319 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cogné" and "cygne" be used interchangeably?
Remembering cogné vs cygne
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “cogné”; for a noun, it's “cygne”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cogné” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable