Which to use
“erreur” and “error” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,026
- “erreur” frequency rank
- #35,024
- “error” frequency rank
- 36050
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erreur | error |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fausse opinion ; fausse doctrine. | Erreur, faute. |
Where the eye mixes erreur and error
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between erreur and error
A purely visual mix-up. erreur (\ɛ.ʁœʁ\) and error (\ˈɛɹ.ə(ɹ)\) 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 36050, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erreur is recorded at frequency rank #1,026, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɛ.ʁœʁ\. error is at rank #35,024, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈɛɹ.ə(ɹ)\.
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 36050, this pair ranks #272,349 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erreur vs error
Shared letters: er. Private to "erreur": u. Private to "error": o.
"erreur" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC · "error" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erreur" for "error" ever safe?
Frequency check: "erreur" vs "error" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erreur" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "error" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #272,349 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erreur" and "error" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ergo vs error". 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 #272,349 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.