fâchervsficheWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fâcher is a verb, fiche is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fâcher” is a verb and “fiche” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#23,221
“fâcher” frequency rank
#1,917
“fiche” frequency rank
25138
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fâcher fiche
Definition Mettre en colère, irriter. Action de ficher, d’enfoncer ; quantité dont on enfonce dans le sol un pieu de fondation.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fâcher and fiche apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
fâcher
5 ch
fiche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

fâcher and fiche form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25138, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fâcher is recorded at frequency rank #23,221, classified as averb, pronounced \fɑ.ʃe\. fiche is at rank #1,917, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fiʃ\.

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 25138, this pair ranks #342,589 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

fâcher#23,221
fiche#1,917

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fâcher" and "fiche" be used interchangeably?
No, "fâcher" and "fiche" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering fâcher vs fiche

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “fâcher”; for a noun, it's “fiche”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fâcher” 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