langervslarguerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,889
“langer” frequency rank
#19,890
“larguer” frequency rank
58779
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature langer larguer
Definition Mettre une couche à un bébé. Lâcher une manœuvre, lâcher ou filer le cordage qui retient une voile par le bas.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set langer and larguer apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
langer
7 ch
larguer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. langer (\lɑ̃.ʒe\) and larguer (\laʁ.ɡe\) 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 58779, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

langer is recorded at frequency rank #38,889, classified as averb, pronounced \lɑ̃.ʒe\. larguer is at rank #19,890, tagged as averb, pronounced \laʁ.ɡe\.

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 58779, this pair ranks #106,978 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of langer vs larguer

Shared letters: aeglr. Private to "langer": n. Private to "larguer": u.

"langer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "larguer" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • langeralnger · lagner · lanegr · langerr · langger · langre · lannger · llanger
  • largueralrguer · lagruer · largguer · larguerr · largure · larrguer · laruger · llarguer

Frequency comparison

langer#38,889
larguer#19,890

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "langer" and "larguer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\lɑ̃.ʒe\ versus \laʁ.ɡe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "langer" or "larguer"?
"larguer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,890 in our French list, against #38,889 for "langer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering langer vs larguer

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 “langer” 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