datesvsdîmesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“dates” and “dîmes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,603
“dates” frequency rank
#41,760
“dîmes” frequency rank
45363
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dates dîmes
Definition Pluriel de date. Pluriel de dîme.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dates and dîmes apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
dates
5 ch
dîmes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dates (\dat\) and dîmes (\dim\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45363, 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\. dîmes is at rank #41,760, tagged as anoun, pronounced \dim\.

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 45363, this pair ranks #203,271 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dates vs dîmes

Shared letters: des. Private to "dates": at. Private to "dîmes": .

"dates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "dîmes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • datesadtes · daets · datess · datse · ddates · dtaes

Frequency comparison

dates#3,603
dîmes#41,760

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dates" and "dîmes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\dat\ versus \dim\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dates" or "dîmes"?
"dates" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,603 in our French list, against #41,760 for "dîmes". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering dates vs dîmes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dates” 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