léguervslesterWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,473
“léguer” frequency rank
#20,774
“lester” frequency rank
53247
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature léguer lester
Definition Donner par testament ou par autre acte de dernière volonté. Garnir de lest.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
léguer
6 ch
lester

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. léguer (\le.ɡe\) and lester (\lɛs.te\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53247, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

léguer is recorded at frequency rank #32,473, classified as averb, pronounced \le.ɡe\. lester is at rank #20,774, tagged as averb, pronounced \lɛs.te\.

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 53247, this pair ranks #142,076 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of léguer vs lester

Shared letters: elr. Private to "léguer": gué. Private to "lester": st.

"léguer" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "lester" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lesterelster · lesetr · lesster · lesterr · lestre · lestter · letser · llester

Frequency comparison

léguer#32,473
lester#20,774

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "léguer" and "lester" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\le.ɡe\ versus \lɛs.te\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "léguer" or "lester"?
"lester" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,774 in our French list, against #32,473 for "léguer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering léguer vs lester

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 “léguer” 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