mâchevsmatchsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,456
“mâche” frequency rank
#1,529
“matchs” frequency rank
30985
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mâche matchs
Definition Nom vulgaire de Valerianella locusta, plante potagère de la famille des Caprifoliaceae (caprifoliacées) que l'on mange en salade. Pluriel de match.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
mâche
6 ch
matchs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mâche (\mɑʃ\) and matchs (\matʃ\) 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 30985, 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\. matchs is at rank #1,529, tagged as anoun, pronounced \matʃ\.

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 30985, this pair ranks #306,737 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mâche vs matchs

Shared letters: chm. Private to "mâche": . Private to "matchs": ast.

"mâche" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "matchs" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • matchsamtchs · macths · matcchs · matchhs · matchss · matcsh · mathcs · mattchs

Frequency comparison

mâche#29,456
matchs#1,529

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mâche" and "matchs" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\mɑʃ\ versus \matʃ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mâche" or "matchs"?
"matchs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,529 in our French list, against #29,456 for "mâche". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering mâche vs matchs

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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list