Which to use
“model” and “mole” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,537
- “model” frequency rank
- #38,923
- “mole” frequency rank
- 49460
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | model | mole |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Modèle, maquette. | Unité de mesure de quantité de matière du Système international, dont le symbole est mol. Une mole contient autant de particules individuelles qu’il y a d’atomes dans 12 grammes de carbone 12 ; ce nombre est appelé nombre d’Avogadro, et est de l’ordre de 6,022×10²³. |
Where the eye mixes model and mole
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses model with mole
A purely visual mix-up. model (\ˈmɒd.l̩\) and mole (\mɔl\) 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 49460, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
model is recorded at frequency rank #10,537, classified as anoun, pronounced \ˈmɒd.l̩\. mole is at rank #38,923, tagged as anoun, pronounced \mɔl\.
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 49460, this pair ranks #170,484 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of model vs mole
Shared letters: elmo. Private to "model": d. Private to "mole": -.
"model" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "mole" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "model" and "mole" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "model" or "mole"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "model" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mole" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #170,484 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "model" and "mole" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "moire vs mole". 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 #170,484 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.