Which to use
“crème” and “crête” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,191
- “crème” frequency rank
- #11,944
- “crête” frequency rank
- 15135
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | crème | crête |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partie la plus grasse du lait, avec laquelle on fait le beurre. | Excroissance charnue que les coqs et quelques autres gallinacés ont sur leur tête. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set crème and crête apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. crème (\kʁɛm\) and crête (\kʁɛt\) 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 15135, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
crème is recorded at frequency rank #3,191, classified as anoun, pronounced \kʁɛm\. crête is at rank #11,944, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kʁɛt\.
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 15135, this pair ranks #393,706 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of crème vs crête
Shared letters: cer. Private to "crème": mè. Private to "crête": tê.
"crème" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "crête" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "crème" and "crête" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "crème" or "crête"?
Remembering crème vs crête
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “crème” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable