Which to use
“computer” and “coûter” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,378
- “computer” frequency rank
- #8,089
- “coûter” frequency rank
- 35467
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | computer | coûter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Supputer. | Valoir tel ou tel prix d’achat. |
Where the eye mixes computer and coûter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses computer with coûter
A purely visual mix-up. computer (\kɔ̃.py.te\) and coûter (\ku.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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35467, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
computer is recorded at frequency rank #27,378, classified as averb, pronounced \kɔ̃.py.te\. coûter is at rank #8,089, tagged as averb, pronounced \ku.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 35467, this pair ranks #276,555 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of computer vs coûter
Shared letters: ceort. Private to "computer": mpu. Private to "coûter": û.
"computer" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "coûter" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- computer ← ccomputer · cmoputer · commputer · compputer · compuetr · computerr · computre · computter
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "computer" for "coûter" ever safe?
Frequency check: "computer" vs "coûter" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "computer" and "coûter" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "computer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "coûter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,555 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "computer" and "coûter" 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 #276,555 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.