Which to use
“langages” and “lavages” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,423
- “langages” frequency rank
- #49,189
- “lavages” frequency rank
- 64612
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | langages | lavages |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de langage. | Pluriel de lavage. |
Where the eye mixes langages and lavages
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. langages runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against lavages's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: langages vs lavages
A purely visual mix-up. langages (\lɑ̃.ɡaʒ\) and lavages (\la.vaʒ\) 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 64612, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
langages is recorded at frequency rank #15,423, classified as anoun, pronounced \lɑ̃.ɡaʒ\. lavages is at rank #49,189, tagged as anoun, pronounced \la.vaʒ\.
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 64612, this pair ranks #76,209 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of langages vs lavages
Shared letters: aegls. Private to "langages": n. Private to "lavages": v.
"langages" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "lavages" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "langages" for "lavages" ever safe?
Which is more common, "langages" or "lavages"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "langages" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lavages" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #76,209 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "langages" and "lavages" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lavages vs levage". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #76,209 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.