Which to use
“contrer” is a verb and “counter” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,979
- “contrer” frequency rank
- #35,451
- “counter” frequency rank
- 44430
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contrer | counter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Annoncer que l'on tient contre celui qui a le premier déclaré qu'il jouait, et qu'on compte le punir sévèrement. | Guichet. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contrer and counter apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
contrer and counter form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44430, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contrer is recorded at frequency rank #8,979, classified as averb, pronounced \kɔ̃.tʁe\. counter is at rank #35,451, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈkaʊn.tə(ɹ)\.
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 44430, this pair ranks #210,540 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contrer" and "counter" be used interchangeably?
Remembering contrer vs counter
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “contrer”; for a noun, it's “counter”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contrer” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable