Which to use
“mask” and “mason” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,486
- “mask” frequency rank
- #14,730
- “mason” frequency rank
- 51216
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mask | mason |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masque. | Maçon. |
Where the eye mixes mask and mason
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mask with mason
A purely visual mix-up. mask (\mɑːsk\) and mason (\ˈmeɪ.sən\) 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 51216, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mask is recorded at frequency rank #36,486, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɑːsk\. mason is at rank #14,730, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈmeɪ.sən\.
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 51216, this pair ranks #156,695 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mask vs mason
Shared letters: ams. Private to "mask": k. Private to "mason": no.
"mask" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "mason" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mask" and "mason" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "mask" vs "mason" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mask" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mason" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #156,695 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mask" and "mason" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mask vs MSG". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #156,695 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.