Which to use
“collatéral” and “collatéraux” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,100
- “collatéral” frequency rank
- #20,962
- “collatéraux” frequency rank
- 51062
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | collatéral | collatéraux |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui est latéral, situé de côté secondairement ou en adjonction, en appartenance ou en subordination. | Masculin pluriel de collatéral. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set collatéral and collatéraux apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. collatéral (\kɔ.la.te.ʁal\) and collatéraux (\kɔ.la.te.ʁo\) 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 51062, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
collatéral is recorded at frequency rank #30,100, classified as anadj, pronounced \kɔ.la.te.ʁal\. collatéraux is at rank #20,962, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kɔ.la.te.ʁo\.
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 51062, this pair ranks #157,888 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of collatéral vs collatéraux
Shared letters: aclorté. Private to "collatéral": -. Private to "collatéraux": ux.
"collatéral" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC · "collatéraux" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "collatéral" and "collatéraux" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "collatéral" or "collatéraux"?
Remembering collatéral vs collatéraux
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 “collatéral” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable