Which to use
“compter” is a verb and “comptes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,323
- “compter” frequency rank
- #1,251
- “comptes” frequency rank
- 2574
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | compter | comptes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Déterminer (une quantité, un nombre), plus particulièrement par un dénombrement, sinon par un calcul. | Pluriel de compte. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set compter and comptes apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
compter and comptes form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - r in “compter” becomes s in “comptes” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2574, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
compter is recorded at frequency rank #1,323, classified as averb, pronounced \kɔ̃.te\. comptes is at rank #1,251, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃t\.
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 2574, this pair ranks #435,876 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "compter" and "comptes" be used interchangeably?
Remembering compter vs comptes
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “compter”; for a noun, it's “comptes”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “compter” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable