Which to use
“dames” and “dattes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,140
- “dames” frequency rank
- #34,053
- “dattes” frequency rank
- 38193
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dames | dattes |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Pluriel de datte. |
Where the eye mixes dames and dattes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dames with dattes
A purely visual mix-up. dames (\dam\) and dattes (\dat\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38193, 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\. dattes is at rank #34,053, tagged as anoun, pronounced \dat\.
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 38193, this pair ranks #257,001 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dames vs dattes
Shared letters: ades. Private to "dames": m. Private to "dattes": t.
"dames" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "dattes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "dames" and "dattes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "dames" vs "dattes" - 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 "dames" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dattes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #257,001 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dames" and "dattes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "datées vs dattes". 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 #257,001 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.