Which to use
“dates” and “dies” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,603
- “dates” frequency rank
- #34,980
- “dies” frequency rank
- 38583
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dates | dies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de date. | Pluriel de die. |
Where the eye mixes dates and dies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dates with dies
A purely visual mix-up. dates (\dat\) and dies (\daj\) 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 38583, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dates is recorded at frequency rank #3,603, classified as anoun, pronounced \dat\. dies is at rank #34,980, tagged as anoun, pronounced \daj\.
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 38583, this pair ranks #254,274 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dates vs dies
Shared letters: des. Private to "dates": at. Private to "dies": i.
"dates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "dies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dates" and "dies" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dates" or "dies"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dates" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #254,274 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dates" and "dies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dies vs diez". 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 #254,274 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.