Which to use
“filiation” and “filtration” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,598
- “filiation” frequency rank
- #24,976
- “filtration” frequency rank
- 38574
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | filiation | filtration |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Suite continue de générations, dans une même famille ; ligne directe qui descend des aïeux aux enfants, ou qui remonte des enfants aux aïeux. | Action par laquelle on fait passer un liquide à travers un corps destiné à l’éclaircir, à l’épurer. |
Where the eye mixes filiation and filtration
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. filiation runs 9 letters (CVCVVCVVC) against filtration's 10 (CVCCCVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between filiation and filtration
A purely visual mix-up. filiation (\fi.lja.sjɔ̃\) and filtration (\fil.tʁa.sjɔ̃\) 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 38574, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
filiation is recorded at frequency rank #13,598, classified as anoun, pronounced \fi.lja.sjɔ̃\. filtration is at rank #24,976, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fil.tʁa.sjɔ̃\.
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 38574, this pair ranks #254,340 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of filiation vs filtration
Shared letters: afilnot. Private to "filiation": -. Private to "filtration": r.
"filiation" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCVVC · "filtration" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- filiation ← ffiliation · fiilation · filaition · filiaiton · filiatino · filiationn · filiatoin · filiattion
- filtration ← ffiltration · filltration · filrtation · filtartion · filtraiton · filtratino · filtrationn · filtratoin
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "filiation" for "filtration" ever safe?
Which is more common, "filiation" or "filtration"?
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 "filiation" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "filtration" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #254,340 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "filiation" and "filtration" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "figuration vs filtration". 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 #254,340 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.