latéralevslatérauxWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,416
“latérale” frequency rank
#14,719
“latéraux” frequency rank
28135
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature latérale latéraux
Definition Féminin singulier de latéral. Masculin pluriel de latéral.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
latérale
8 ch
latéraux

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. latérale (\la.te.ʁal\) and latéraux (\la.te.ʁo\) 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 28135, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

latérale is recorded at frequency rank #13,416, classified as anadj, pronounced \la.te.ʁal\. latéraux is at rank #14,719, tagged as anadj, pronounced \la.te.ʁo\.

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 28135, this pair ranks #324,697 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of latérale vs latéraux

Shared letters: alrté. Private to "latérale": e. Private to "latéraux": ux.

"latérale" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV  ·  "latéraux" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

latérale#13,416
latéraux#14,719

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "latérale" and "latéraux" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\la.te.ʁal\ versus \la.te.ʁo\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "latérale" or "latéraux"?
"latérale" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,416 in our French list, against #14,719 for "latéraux". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering latérale vs latéraux

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 “latérale” 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