Which to use
“compter” and “computer” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,323
- “compter” frequency rank
- #27,378
- “computer” frequency rank
- 28701
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | compter | computer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Déterminer (une quantité, un nombre), plus particulièrement par un dénombrement, sinon par un calcul. | Supputer. |
Where the eye mixes compter and computer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between compter and computer
A purely visual mix-up. compter (\kɔ̃.te\) and computer (\kɔ̃.py.te\) 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 28701, 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\. computer is at rank #27,378, tagged as averb, pronounced \kɔ̃.py.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 28701, this pair ranks #321,226 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of compter vs computer
Shared letters: cemoprt. Private to "compter": -. Private to "computer": u.
"compter" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "computer" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "compter" for "computer" ever safe?
Frequency check: "compter" vs "computer" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "compter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "computer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #321,226 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "compter" and "computer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compatir vs computer". 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 #321,226 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.