datervsdattesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: dater is a verb, dattes is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“dater” is a verb and “dattes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,671
“dater” frequency rank
#34,053
“dattes” frequency rank
51724
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dater dattes
Definition Marquer la date de quelque chose. Pluriel de datte.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
dater
6 ch
dattes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dater is \da.te\ while dattes is \dat\. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51724, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dater is recorded at frequency rank #17,671, classified as averb, pronounced \da.te\. 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 51724, this pair ranks #152,919 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dater vs dattes

Shared letters: adet. Private to "dater": r. Private to "dattes": s.

"dater" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "dattes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dateradter · daetr · daterr · datre · datter · ddater · dtaer
  • dattesadttes · datets · dattess · dattse · ddattes · dtates

Frequency comparison

dater#17,671
dattes#34,053

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dater" and "dattes" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dater" is a verb and "dattes" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dater" or "dattes"?
"dater" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,671 in our French list, against #34,053 for "dattes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dater vs dattes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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