gourdevsgoutteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,747
“gourde” frequency rank
#6,398
“goutte” frequency rank
33145
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gourde goutte
Definition Plante de la famille des cucurbitacées. Très petite quantité d’un liquide qui se détache avec une forme sphérique.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gourde and goutte apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
gourde
6 ch
goutte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

gourde and goutte 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 33145, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gourde is recorded at frequency rank #26,747, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɡuʁd\. goutte is at rank #6,398, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɡut\.

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 33145, this pair ranks #292,580 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

gourde#26,747
goutte#6,398

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gourde" and "goutte" be used interchangeably?
No, "gourde" and "goutte" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering gourde vs goutte

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 “gourde” 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