Which to use
“courre” is a verb and “courriel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,733
- “courre” frequency rank
- #9,634
- “courriel” frequency rank
- 48367
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | courre | courriel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forme ancienne de courir jusqu’au XIIIᵉ siècle. | Système de transmission de messages électroniques entre différents utilisateurs, en différé, et en utilisant le réseau internet. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set courre and courriel apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: courre is \kuʁ\ while courriel is \ku.ʁjɛl\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48367, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
courre is recorded at frequency rank #38,733, classified as averb, pronounced \kuʁ\. courriel is at rank #9,634, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ku.ʁjɛl\.
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 48367, this pair ranks #179,485 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of courre vs courriel
Shared letters: ceoru. Private to "courre": -. Private to "courriel": il.
"courre" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "courriel" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "courre" and "courriel" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "courre" or "courriel"?
Remembering courre vs courriel
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “courre”; for a noun, it's “courriel”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “courre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable