Which to use
“maçon” and “marin” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,438
- “maçon” frequency rank
- #3,936
- “marin” frequency rank
- 19374
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maçon | marin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui appartient au métier des maçons ou leur est comparable. | Qui appartient à la mer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maçon and marin apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. maçon (\ma.sɔ̃\) and marin (\ma.ʁɛ̃\) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19374, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maçon is recorded at frequency rank #15,438, classified as anadj, pronounced \ma.sɔ̃\. marin is at rank #3,936, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ma.ʁɛ̃\.
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 19374, this pair ranks #373,595 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of maçon vs marin
Shared letters: amn. Private to "maçon": oç. Private to "marin": ir.
"maçon" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "marin" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- marin ← amrin · mairn · marinn · marni · marrin · mmarin · mrain
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maçon" and "marin" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "maçon" or "marin"?
Remembering maçon vs marin
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 “maçon” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable