loisirvsloserWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,121
“loisir” frequency rank
#28,240
“loser” frequency rank
36361
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loisir loser
Definition Temps libre dont on peut disposer en dehors de ses occupations habituelles (emploi, gestion de la maison, éducation des enfants, etc.) et des contraintes qu’elles imposent (transports par exemple). Personne sans succès social ou professionnel. Perdant, raté dans la vie.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set loisir and loser apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
loisir
5 ch
loser

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. loisir (\lwa.ziʁ\) and loser (\lu.zœʁ\) 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 36361, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loisir is recorded at frequency rank #8,121, classified as anoun, pronounced \lwa.ziʁ\. loser is at rank #28,240, tagged as anoun, pronounced \lu.zœʁ\.

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 36361, this pair ranks #270,156 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of loisir vs loser

Shared letters: lors. Private to "loisir": i. Private to "loser": e.

"loisir" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "loser" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • loisirliosir · lloisir · loiisr · loisirr · loisri · loissir · losiir · olisir
  • loserlloser · loesr · loserr · losre · losser · lsoer · olser

Frequency comparison

loisir#8,121
loser#28,240

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loisir" and "loser" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\lwa.ziʁ\ versus \lu.zœʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "loisir" or "loser"?
"loisir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,121 in our French list, against #28,240 for "loser". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering loisir vs loser

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 “loisir” 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