crassevscrissWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: crasse is a adjective, criss is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“crasse” is an adjective and “criss” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,106
“crasse” frequency rank
#41,207
“criss” frequency rank
61313
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature crasse criss
Definition Qui est épais. Poignard dont la lame est parfois en zigzag à l’usage des Malais.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
crasse
5 ch
criss

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: crasse is \kʁas\ while criss is \kʁis\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61313, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

crasse is recorded at frequency rank #20,106, classified as anadj, pronounced \kʁas\. criss is at rank #41,207, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kʁis\.

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 61313, this pair ranks #92,932 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of crasse vs criss

Shared letters: crs. Private to "crasse": ae. Private to "criss": i.

"crasse" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "criss" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • crassecarsse · ccrasse · crase · crases · crrasse · crsase · rcasse
  • crissccriss · cirss · crriss · crsis · rciss

Frequency comparison

crasse#20,106
criss#41,207

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "crasse" and "criss" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "crasse" is an adjective and "criss" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "crasse" or "criss"?
"crasse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,106 in our French list, against #41,207 for "criss". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering crasse vs criss

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “crasse”; for a noun, it's “criss”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “crasse” 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