distraitvsdistraiteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,116
“distrait” frequency rank
#42,290
“distraite” frequency rank
62406
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature distrait distraite
Definition Qui n’a pas d’attention à ce qu’il dit ou à ce qu’il fait, qui n’est pas à l'écoute de ce qu’on lui dit. Féminin singulier de distrait.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set distrait and distraite apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
distrait
9 ch
distraite

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. distrait (\dis.tʁɛ\) and distraite (\dis.tʁɛt\) 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 extra letter(s) - “distrait” sits inside “distraite”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62406, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

distrait is recorded at frequency rank #20,116, classified as anadj, pronounced \dis.tʁɛ\. distraite is at rank #42,290, tagged as anadj, pronounced \dis.tʁɛt\.

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 62406, this pair ranks #87,295 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of distrait vs distraite

Shared letters: adirst. Private to "distrait": -. Private to "distraite": e.

"distrait" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC  ·  "distraite" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • distraitddistrait · disrtait · disstrait · distarit · distraitt · distrati · distriat · distrrait
  • distraiteddistraite · disrtaite · disstraite · distarite · distraiet · distraitte · distratie · distriate

Frequency comparison

distrait#20,116
distraite#42,290

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "distrait" and "distraite" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\dis.tʁɛ\ versus \dis.tʁɛt\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "distrait" or "distraite"?
"distrait" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,116 in our French list, against #42,290 for "distraite". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering distrait vs distraite

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 “distrait” 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