Which to use
“machine” and “mâchoire” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,599
- “machine” frequency rank
- #12,002
- “mâchoire” frequency rank
- 13601
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | machine | mâchoire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Engin, instrument propre à faire mouvoir, à tirer, lever, traîner, lancer quelque chose, ou à mettre en œuvre un agent naturel, comme le feu, l’air, l’eau, l’électricité, le gaz, ou toute source d’énergie afin de produire un résultat. | Chacune des deux parties osseuses de la bouche dans lesquelles les dents sont enchâssées. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set machine and mâchoire apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
machine and mâchoire form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13601, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
machine is recorded at frequency rank #1,599, classified as anoun, pronounced \ma.ʃin\. mâchoire is at rank #12,002, tagged as anoun, pronounced \mɑ.ʃwaʁ\.
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 13601, this pair ranks #400,330 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "machine" and "mâchoire" be used interchangeably?
Remembering machine vs mâchoire
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 “machine” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable