Which to use
“hérite” and “hésites” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,652
- “hérite” frequency rank
- #28,992
- “hésites” frequency rank
- 50644
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hérite | hésites |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de hériter. | Deuxième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de hésiter. |
Where the eye mixes hérite and hésites
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. hérite runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against hésites's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses hérite with hésites
A purely visual mix-up. hérite (\e.ʁit\) and hésites (^((h muet))\e.zit\) 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 50644, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hérite is recorded at frequency rank #21,652, classified as averb, pronounced \e.ʁit\. hésites is at rank #28,992, tagged as averb, pronounced ^((h muet))\e.zit\.
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 50644, this pair ranks #161,044 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hérite vs hésites
Shared letters: ehité. Private to "hérite": r. Private to "hésites": s.
"hérite" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "hésites" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hérite" and "hésites" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hérite" or "hésites"?
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 "hérite" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hésites" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #161,044 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hérite" and "hésites" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "hésita vs hésites". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #161,044 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.