Which to use
“coter” and “coûter” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,252
- “coter” frequency rank
- #8,089
- “coûter” frequency rank
- 45341
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coter | coûter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Marquer suivant l’ordre des lettres ou des nombres, numéroter. | Valoir tel ou tel prix d’achat. |
Where the eye mixes coter and coûter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses coter with coûter
A purely visual mix-up. coter (\kɔ.te\) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45341, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
coter is recorded at frequency rank #37,252, classified as averb, pronounced \kɔ.te\. 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 45341, this pair ranks #203,435 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of coter vs coûter
Shared letters: ceort. Private to "coter": -. Private to "coûter": û.
"coter" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "coûter" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- coter ← ccoter · coetr · coterr · cotter · ctoer · octer
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "coter" for "coûter" ever safe?
Which is more common, "coter" or "coûter"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "coter" 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 #203,435 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coter" and "coûter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "citera vs coter". 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 #203,435 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.