Which to use
“fétiches” and “fraîches” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,411
- “fétiches” frequency rank
- #13,391
- “fraîches” frequency rank
- 49802
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fétiches | fraîches |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de fétiche. | Féminin pluriel de frais. |
Where the eye mixes fétiches and fraîches
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. fétiches (CVCVCCVC) and fraîches (CCVVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between fétiches and fraîches
A purely visual mix-up. fétiches (\fe.tiʃ\) and fraîches (\fʁɛʃ\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49802, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fétiches is recorded at frequency rank #36,411, classified as anadj, pronounced \fe.tiʃ\. fraîches is at rank #13,391, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fʁɛʃ\.
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 49802, this pair ranks #167,761 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fétiches vs fraîches
Shared letters: cefhs. Private to "fétiches": ité. Private to "fraîches": arî.
"fétiches" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "fraîches" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fétiches" and "fraîches" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fétiches" or "fraîches"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fétiches" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fraîches" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #167,761 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fétiches" and "fraîches" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fétiches vs friches". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #167,761 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.