contour vs contourne, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“contour” is a noun and “contourne” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#16,845
“contour” frequency rank: #28,892
“contourne” frequency rank: 45737
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	contour	contourne
Definition	Limite externe de la surface d’un corps, surtout en parlant des objets arrondis.	Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de contourner.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch

contour

9 ch

contourne

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

contour and contourne 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 2 extra letter(s) - “contour” sits inside “contourne” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contour is recorded at frequency rank #16,845, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃.tuʁ\. contourne is at rank #28,892, tagged as averb, pronounced \kɔ̃.tuʁn\.

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 45737, this pair ranks #200,409 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

contour#16,845

contourne#28,892

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contour" and "contourne" be used interchangeably?

No, "contour" and "contourne" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering contour vs contourne

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “contour”; for a verb, it's “contourne”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contour” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable