Which to use
“mâcher” is a verb and “mahé” is a postp - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,876
- “mâcher” frequency rank
- #44,035
- “mahé” frequency rank
- 73911
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mâcher | mahé |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Broyer un aliment ou un objet à l’aide des dents et de la mâchoire. | Dans, dedans. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mâcher and mahé apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mâcher is \ma.ʃe\ while mahé is \ma.ˈhe\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs postp), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73911, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mâcher is recorded at frequency rank #29,876, classified as averb, pronounced \ma.ʃe\. mahé is at rank #44,035, tagged as apostp, pronounced \ma.ˈhe\.
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 73911, this pair ranks #38,899 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mâcher vs mahé
Shared letters: hm. Private to "mâcher": cerâ. Private to "mahé": aé.
"mâcher" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "mahé" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mâcher" and "mahé" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mâcher" or "mahé"?
Remembering mâcher vs mahé
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “mâcher”; for a postp, it's “mahé”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mâcher” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable