Which to use
“fréquente” is an adjective and “fréquenter” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,831
- “fréquente” frequency rank
- #12,386
- “fréquenter” frequency rank
- 19217
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fréquente | fréquenter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de fréquent. | Aller fréquemment dans un lieu. |
Where the eye mixes fréquente and fréquenter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. fréquente runs 9 letters (CCVCVVCCV) against fréquenter's 10 (CCVCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses fréquente with fréquenter
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fréquente is \fʁe.kɑ̃t\ while fréquenter is \fʁe.kɑ̃.te\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “fréquente” sits inside “fréquenter”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19217, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fréquente is recorded at frequency rank #6,831, classified as anadj, pronounced \fʁe.kɑ̃t\. fréquenter is at rank #12,386, tagged as averb, pronounced \fʁe.kɑ̃.te\.
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 19217, this pair ranks #374,353 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fréquente vs fréquenter
Shared letters: efnqrtué. Private to "fréquente": -. Private to "fréquenter": -.
"fréquente" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVVCCV · "fréquenter" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fréquente" for "fréquenter" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fréquente" vs "fréquenter" - which ranks higher?
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 "fréquente" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fréquenter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #374,353 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fréquente" and "fréquenter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fréquentées vs fréquenter". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #374,353 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.