Which to use
“fidèle” and “frêle” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,138
- “fidèle” frequency rank
- #31,505
- “frêle” frequency rank
- 34643
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fidèle | frêle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui garde sa foi, à l’égard d’une personne ou d’une idée, qui est constant dans les affections, qui remplit ses devoirs, ses engagements. | Qui a peu de solidité, de résistance. |
Where the eye mixes fidèle and frêle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. fidèle runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against frêle's 5 (CCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between fidèle and frêle
A purely visual mix-up. fidèle (\fi.dɛl\) and frêle (\fʁɛl\) 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 34643, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fidèle is recorded at frequency rank #3,138, classified as anadj, pronounced \fi.dɛl\. frêle is at rank #31,505, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fʁɛl\.
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 34643, this pair ranks #282,401 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fidèle vs frêle
Shared letters: efl. Private to "fidèle": diè. Private to "frêle": rê.
"fidèle" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "frêle" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fidèle" for "frêle" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fidèle" or "frêle"?
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 "fidèle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "frêle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #282,401 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fidèle" and "frêle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fee vs frêle". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #282,401 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.