laïcsvslaitsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,054
“laïcs” frequency rank
#36,466
“laits” frequency rank
55520
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature laïcs laits
Definition Pluriel de laïc. Pluriel de lait.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set laïcs and laits apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
laïcs
5 ch
laits

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. laïcs (\la.ik\) and laits (\lɛ\) 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 55520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

laïcs is recorded at frequency rank #19,054, classified as anoun, pronounced \la.ik\. laits is at rank #36,466, tagged as anoun, pronounced \lɛ\.

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 55520, this pair ranks #126,963 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of laïcs vs laits

Shared letters: als. Private to "laïcs": . Private to "laits": it.

"laïcs" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "laits" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • laitsalits · laist · laitss · laitts · latis · liats · llaits

Frequency comparison

laïcs#19,054
laits#36,466

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "laïcs" and "laits" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\la.ik\ versus \lɛ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "laïcs" or "laits"?
"laïcs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,054 in our French list, against #36,466 for "laits". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering laïcs vs laits

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 “laïcs” 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