Which to use
“copier” and “coûter” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,368
- “copier” frequency rank
- #8,089
- “coûter” frequency rank
- 16457
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | copier | coûter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Reproduire par écrit. | Valoir tel ou tel prix d’achat. |
Where the eye mixes copier and coûter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: copier vs coûter
A purely visual mix-up. copier (\kɔ.pje\) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16457, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
copier is recorded at frequency rank #8,368, classified as averb, pronounced \kɔ.pje\. 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 16457, this pair ranks #387,749 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of copier vs coûter
Shared letters: ceor. Private to "copier": ip. Private to "coûter": tû.
"copier" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "coûter" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- copier ← ccopier · coiper · copeir · copierr · copire · coppier · cpoier · ocpier
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "copier" for "coûter" ever safe?
Frequency check: "copier" vs "coûter" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "copier" 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 #387,749 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "copier" and "coûter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "copiée vs copier". 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 #387,749 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.