Which to use
“contre” is a preposition and “controle” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #109
- “contre” frequency rank
- #15,340
- “controle” frequency rank
- 15449
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contre | controle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | En opposition à ; dans un choc avec ; à l’encontre de. | Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de controlar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contre and controle apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contre is \kɔ̃tʁ\ while controle is \konˈtɾo.le\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15449, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contre is recorded at frequency rank #109, classified as aprep, pronounced \kɔ̃tʁ\. controle is at rank #15,340, tagged as averb, pronounced \konˈtɾo.le\.
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 15449, this pair ranks #392,318 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contre vs controle
Shared letters: cenort. Private to "contre": -. Private to "controle": l.
"contre" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "controle" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contre" and "controle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "contre" or "controle"?
Remembering contre vs controle
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “contre”; for a verb, it's “controle”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable