Which to use
“mâche” and “magie” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,456
- “mâche” frequency rank
- #3,622
- “magie” frequency rank
- 33078
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mâche | magie |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nom vulgaire de Valerianella locusta, plante potagère de la famille des Caprifoliaceae (caprifoliacées) que l'on mange en salade. | Art prétendu auquel on attribue le pouvoir d’opérer, par des moyens occultes, des effets surprenants et merveilleux. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mâche and magie apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. mâche (\mɑʃ\) and magie (\ma.ʒi\) 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 33078, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mâche is recorded at frequency rank #29,456, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɑʃ\. magie is at rank #3,622, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ma.ʒi\.
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 33078, this pair ranks #292,990 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mâche vs magie
Shared letters: em. Private to "mâche": châ. Private to "magie": agi.
"mâche" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "magie" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- magie ← amgie · magei · maige · mgaie · mmagie
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mâche" and "magie" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mâche" or "magie"?
Remembering mâche vs magie
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 “mâche” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable