Which to use
“modem” and “mole” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,697
- “modem” frequency rank
- #38,923
- “mole” frequency rank
- 48620
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | modem | mole |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dispositif qui transforme un signal numérique en un signal, souvent analogique, adapté aux caractéristiques d’une ligne de transmission, et inversement. | 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 modem and mole
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: modem vs mole
A purely visual mix-up. modem (\mɔ.dɛm\) 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 48620, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
modem is recorded at frequency rank #9,697, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɔ.dɛm\. 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 48620, this pair ranks #177,418 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of modem vs mole
Shared letters: emo. Private to "modem": d. Private to "mole": l.
"modem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "mole" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "modem" for "mole" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "modem" or "mole" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "modem" 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 #177,418 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "modem" 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 #177,418 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.