coquinvscorbinWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,892
“coquin” frequency rank
#38,729
“corbin” frequency rank
53621
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature coquin corbin
Definition Celui qui a un caractère vil, qui est capable de friponneries, de vols, d’actions déshonnêtes. Ancien synonyme de corbeau ou de grand corbeau (oiseau).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set coquin and corbin apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
coquin
6 ch
corbin

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. coquin (\kɔ.kɛ̃\) and corbin (\kɔʁ.bɛ̃\) 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 53621, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

coquin is recorded at frequency rank #14,892, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔ.kɛ̃\. corbin is at rank #38,729, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kɔʁ.bɛ̃\.

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 53621, this pair ranks #139,481 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of coquin vs corbin

Shared letters: cino. Private to "coquin": qu. Private to "corbin": br.

"coquin" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "corbin" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • coquinccoquin · coqiun · coqquin · coquinn · coquni · couqin · cqouin · ocquin
  • corbinccorbin · cobrin · corbbin · corbinn · corbni · coribn · corrbin · crobin

Frequency comparison

coquin#14,892
corbin#38,729

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "coquin" and "corbin" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\kɔ.kɛ̃\ versus \kɔʁ.bɛ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "coquin" or "corbin"?
"coquin" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,892 in our French list, against #38,729 for "corbin". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering coquin vs corbin

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 “coquin” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list