Which to use
“coûte” is a verb and “cut” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,915
- “coûte” frequency rank
- #17,668
- “cut” frequency rank
- 20583
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coûte | cut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de coûter. | Pointage permettant de se qualifier. |
Where the eye mixes coûte and cut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses coûte with cut
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: coûte is \kut\ while cut is \kœt\. 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 20583, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
coûte is recorded at frequency rank #2,915, classified as averb, pronounced \kut\. cut is at rank #17,668, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kœt\.
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 20583, this pair ranks #367,526 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of coûte vs cut
Shared letters: ct. Private to "coûte": eoû. Private to "cut": u.
"coûte" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "cut" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "coûte" for "cut" ever safe?
Frequency check: "coûte" vs "cut" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "coûte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #367,526 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coûte" and "cut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "CCE vs cut". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #367,526 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.