Which to use
“jalon” and “jeton” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,691
- “jalon” frequency rank
- #32,871
- “jeton” frequency rank
- 78562
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | jalon | jeton |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Repère balisé que l’on plante en terre pour prendre des alignements ou déterminer une direction. Souvent une simple tige de bois ou de fer. | Pièce de métal, d’ivoire, etc., plate et ordinairement ronde, dont on se servait autrefois pour calculer des sommes, et dont on se sert encore pour marquer et payer au jeu. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set jalon and jeton apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. jalon (\ʒa.lɔ̃\) and jeton (\ʒə.tɔ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78562, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
jalon is recorded at frequency rank #45,691, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʒa.lɔ̃\. jeton is at rank #32,871, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʒə.tɔ̃\.
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 78562, this pair ranks #25,420 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of jalon vs jeton
Shared letters: jno. Private to "jalon": al. Private to "jeton": et.
"jalon" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "jeton" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "jalon" and "jeton" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "jalon" or "jeton"?
Remembering jalon vs jeton
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 “jalon” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable