coopérationvscoopérativeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,870
“coopération” frequency rank
#9,630
“coopérative” frequency rank
12500
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature coopération coopérative
Definition Action de coopérer. Société où les clients sont tous actionnaires.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set coopération and coopérative apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
coopération
11 ch
coopérative

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. coopération (\kɔ.ɔ.pe.ʁa.sjɔ̃\) and coopérative (\kɔ.ɔ.pe.ʁa.tiv\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12500, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

coopération is recorded at frequency rank #2,870, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔ.ɔ.pe.ʁa.sjɔ̃\. coopérative is at rank #9,630, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kɔ.ɔ.pe.ʁa.tiv\.

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 12500, this pair ranks #405,013 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of coopération vs coopérative

Shared letters: acioprté. Private to "coopération": n. Private to "coopérative": ev.

"coopération" · 11 letters · shape CVVCVCVCVVC  ·  "coopérative" · 11 letters · shape CVVCVCVCVCV

Frequency comparison

coopération#2,870
coopérative#9,630

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "coopération" and "coopérative" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\kɔ.ɔ.pe.ʁa.sjɔ̃\ versus \kɔ.ɔ.pe.ʁa.tiv\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "coopération" or "coopérative"?
"coopération" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,870 in our French list, against #9,630 for "coopérative". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering coopération vs coopérative

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 “coopération” 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