Which to use
“compte” is a noun and “compter” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #196
- “compte” frequency rank
- #1,323
- “compter” frequency rank
- 1519
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | compte | compter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Action de compter, dénombrement, calcul opéré sur tel ou tel ensemble de choses ; résultat de cette action. | Déterminer (une quantité, un nombre), plus particulièrement par un dénombrement, sinon par un calcul. |
Where the eye mixes compte and compter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses compte with compter
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compte is \kɔ̃t\ while compter is \kɔ̃.te\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “compte” sits inside “compter”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1519, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
compte is recorded at frequency rank #196, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃t\. compter is at rank #1,323, tagged as averb, pronounced \kɔ̃.te\.
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 1519, this pair ranks #437,907 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of compte vs compter
Shared letters: cemopt. Private to "compte": -. Private to "compter": r.
"compte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "compter" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "compte" and "compter" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "compte" or "compter"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "compte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "compter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #437,907 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "compte" and "compter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "comptées vs compter". 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 #437,907 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.