comptesvscompteursWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“comptes” and “compteurs” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,251
“comptes” frequency rank
#15,595
“compteurs” frequency rank
16846
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature comptes compteurs
Definition Pluriel de compte. Pluriel de compteur.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set comptes and compteurs apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
comptes
9 ch
compteurs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. comptes (\kɔ̃t\) and compteurs (\kɔ̃.tœʁ\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16846, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

comptes is recorded at frequency rank #1,251, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃t\. compteurs is at rank #15,595, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃.tœʁ\.

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 16846, this pair ranks #385,996 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of comptes vs compteurs

Shared letters: cemopst. Private to "comptes": -. Private to "compteurs": ru.

"comptes" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "compteurs" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • comptesccomptes · cmoptes · commptes · compets · compptes · comptess · comptse · compttes
  • compteursccompteurs · cmopteurs · commpteurs · competurs · comppteurs · compterus · compteurrs · compteurss

Frequency comparison

comptes#1,251
compteurs#15,595

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "comptes" and "compteurs" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\kɔ̃t\ versus \kɔ̃.tœʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "comptes" or "compteurs"?
"comptes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,251 in our French list, against #15,595 for "compteurs". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering comptes vs compteurs

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 “comptes” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list