modéréevsmodérerConfusable pair

Quick tell: modérée is a noun, modérer is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“modérée” is a noun and “modérer” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,084
“modérée” frequency rank
#24,678
“modérer” frequency rank
35762
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature modérée modérer
Definition Partisane de positions politiques non extrémistes. Diminuer ; adoucir ; tempérer ; rendre moins violent ; tenir dans de justes limites.

Same sound, different letters: modérée vs modérer

Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. modérée (CVCVCVV) and modérer (CVCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

7 ch
modérée
7 ch
modérer

Homophone desk: modérée vs modérer

Say them out loud and nothing separates them: modérée and modérer carry the same recorded pronunciation, \mɔ.de.ʁe\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35762, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

modérée is recorded at frequency rank #11,084, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɔ.de.ʁe\. modérer is at rank #24,678, tagged as averb, pronounced \mɔ.de.ʁe\.

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 35762, this pair ranks #274,428 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of modérée vs modérer

Shared letters: demoré. Private to "modérée": -. Private to "modérer": -.

"modérée" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV  ·  "modérer" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "modérée" for "modérer" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "modérée" is a noun and "modérer" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "modérée" vs "modérer" - which ranks higher?
"modérée" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,084 in our French list, against #24,678 for "modérer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

You've separated the homophone pair "modérée" / "modérer". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.

  • Full dictionary entry for "modérée" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "modérer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #274,428 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "modérée" and "modérer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Modène vs modérer". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #274,428 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list