Which to use
“files” and “fille” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,220
- “files” frequency rank
- #312
- “fille” frequency rank
- 11532
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | files | fille |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de file. | Enfant de genre féminin, par opposition à garçon ; aussi appelée fillette ou petite fille. |
Where the eye mixes files and fille
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. files (CVCVC) and fille (CVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between files and fille
A purely visual mix-up. files (\fil\) and fille (\fij\) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11532, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
files is recorded at frequency rank #11,220, classified as anoun, pronounced \fil\. fille is at rank #312, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fij\.
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 11532, this pair ranks #408,806 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of files vs fille
Shared letters: efil. Private to "files": s. Private to "fille": -.
"files" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "fille" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "files" and "fille" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "files" vs "fille" - which ranks higher?
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 "files" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fille" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #408,806 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "files" and "fille" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "files vs filez". 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 #408,806 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.