Which to use
“dames” is a noun and “datées” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,140
- “dames” frequency rank
- #30,973
- “datées” frequency rank
- 35113
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dames | datées |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Participe passé féminin pluriel de dater. |
Where the eye mixes dames and datées
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between dames and datées
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dames is \dam\ while datées is \da.te\. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35113, 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\. datées is at rank #30,973, tagged as averb, pronounced \da.te\.
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 35113, this pair ranks #279,068 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dames vs datées
Shared letters: ades. Private to "dames": m. Private to "datées": té.
"dames" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "datées" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- dames ← admes · daems · damess · dammes · damse · ddames · dmaes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dames" for "datées" ever safe?
Which is more common, "dames" or "datées"?
After this comparison
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 "datées" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #279,068 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dames" and "datées" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "datées vs douées". 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 #279,068 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.