Which to use
“gate” and “gène” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,298
- “gate” frequency rank
- #9,016
- “gène” frequency rank
- 28314
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gate | gène |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Synonyme de grille, électrode de commande des dispositifs à effet de champ. Cette électrode joue un effet analogue à celle de la grille d'un tube électronique, qui est de restreindre en fonction du potentiel qui lui est appliqué la zone dans laquelle les porteurs de charge peuvent circuler. | Unité de base de l’information biologique qui se transmet de génération en génération. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gate and gène apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
gate and gène form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28314, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gate is recorded at frequency rank #19,298, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɡɛt\. gène is at rank #9,016, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʒɛn\.
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 28314, this pair ranks #323,609 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gate" and "gène" be used interchangeably?
Remembering gate vs gène
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 “gate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable