langagesvslavagesWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set langages and lavages apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
langages
7 ch
lavages

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • langagesalngages · lagnages · lanagges · langaegs · langagess · langagges · langagse · langgaes
  • lavagesalvages · laavges · lavaegs · lavagess · lavagges · lavagse · lavgaes · lavvages

Frequency comparison

langages#15,423
lavages#49,189

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "langages" and "lavages" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\lɑ̃.ɡaʒ\ versus \la.vaʒ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "langages" or "lavages"?
"langages" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,423 in our French list, against #49,189 for "lavages". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering langages vs lavages

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 “langages” 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