Which to use
“dames” is a noun and “damned” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,140
- “dames” frequency rank
- #48,446
- “damned” frequency rank
- 52586
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dames | damned |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Jeu de dames, jeu stratégique à deux joueurs, se jouant avec des pions blancs et noirs sur un damier de 64, 100 ou 144 cases selon la variante des règles utilisée. | Damné. |
Where the eye mixes dames and damned
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dames with damned
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dames is \dam\ while damned is \ˈdæmd\. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52586, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dames is recorded at frequency rank #4,140, classified as anoun, pronounced \dam\. damned is at rank #48,446, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ˈdæmd\.
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 52586, this pair ranks #146,671 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dames vs damned
Shared letters: adem. Private to "dames": s. Private to "damned": n.
"dames" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "damned" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dames" for "damned" ever safe?
Which is more common, "dames" or "damned"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dames" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "damned" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #146,671 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dames" and "damned" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "damné vs damned". 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 #146,671 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.