donnéesvsdotéesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: données is a noun, dotées is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“données” is a noun and “dotées” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#684
“données” frequency rank
#19,514
“dotées” frequency rank
20198
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature données dotées
Definition Pluriel de donnée. Féminin pluriel de doté.

Where the eye mixes données and dotées

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. données runs 7 letters (CVCCVVC) against dotées's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
données
6 ch
dotées

Why the eye confuses données with dotées

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: données is \dɔ.ne\ while dotées is \dɔ.te\. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20198, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

données is recorded at frequency rank #684, classified as anoun, pronounced \dɔ.ne\. dotées is at rank #19,514, tagged as anadj, pronounced \dɔ.te\.

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 20198, this pair ranks #369,489 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of données vs dotées

Shared letters: deosé. Private to "données": n. Private to "dotées": t.

"données" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "dotées" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "données" for "dotées" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "données" is a noun and "dotées" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary French text, does "données" or "dotées" show up more?
"données" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #684 in our French list, against #19,514 for "dotées". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "données" and "dotées" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "données" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "dotées" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #369,489 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "données" and "dotées" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dotées vs douées". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #369,489 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list