gâchevsgâchéeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“gâche” and “gâchée” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#15,895
“gâche” frequency rank
#35,074
“gâchée” frequency rank
50969
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gâche gâchée
Definition Partie d’une serrure dans laquelle le pêne s’insère pour maintenir une porte fermée. Quantité de béton frais produite en un seul cycle par un malaxeur discontinu ; quantité déversée pendant une minute d'un malaxeur continu.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gâche and gâchée apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
gâche
6 ch
gâchée

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gâche (\ɡɑʃ\) and gâchée (\ɡɑ.ʃe\) 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 50969, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gâche is recorded at frequency rank #15,895, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɡɑʃ\. gâchée is at rank #35,074, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɡɑ.ʃe\.

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 50969, this pair ranks #158,572 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gâche vs gâchée

Shared letters: ceghâ. Private to "gâche": -. Private to "gâchée": é.

"gâche" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "gâchée" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV

Frequency comparison

gâche#15,895
gâchée#35,074

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gâche" and "gâchée" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ɡɑʃ\ versus \ɡɑ.ʃe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gâche" or "gâchée"?
"gâche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,895 in our French list, against #35,074 for "gâchée". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gâche vs gâchée

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gâche” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list