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 eye mixes coquin and corbin
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. coquin (CVCVVC) and corbin (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses coquin with corbin
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "coquin" and "corbin" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "coquin" or "corbin"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "coquin" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "corbin" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #139,481 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coquin" and "corbin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cardin vs corbin". 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 #139,481 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.