Which to use
“file” is a noun and “fle” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,678
- “file” frequency rank
- #39,300
- “fle” frequency rank
- 42978
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | file | fle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Suite ou rangée de choses ou de personnes disposées en long et l’une derrière l’autre. | Dormir. |
Where the eye mixes file and fle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses file with fle
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: file is \fil\ while fle is \ˈfle\. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42978, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
file is recorded at frequency rank #3,678, classified as anoun, pronounced \fil\. fle is at rank #39,300, tagged as averb, pronounced \ˈfle\.
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 42978, this pair ranks #221,513 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of file vs fle
Shared letters: efl. Private to "file": i. Private to "fle": -.
"file" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "fle" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- file ← ffile · flie · ifle
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "file" and "fle" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "file" or "fle" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "file" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #221,513 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "file" and "fle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "filez vs fle". 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 #221,513 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.