Which to use
“modes” is a noun and “modeste” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,588
- “modes” frequency rank
- #5,156
- “modeste” frequency rank
- 9744
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | modes | modeste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ensemble de parure que l’on rajoute à un vêtement, dentelles, plumes, etc. colifichet. Autrefois, l‘apanage des modistes. | Qui a de la retenue, de la modération, qui ne donne dans aucun excès. |
Where the eye mixes modes and modeste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between modes and modeste
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: modes is \mɔd\ while modeste is \mɔ.dɛst\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “modes” sits inside “modeste”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9744, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
modes is recorded at frequency rank #4,588, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɔd\. modeste is at rank #5,156, tagged as anadj, pronounced \mɔ.dɛst\.
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 9744, this pair ranks #415,577 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of modes vs modeste
Shared letters: demos. Private to "modes": -. Private to "modeste": t.
"modes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "modeste" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "modes" for "modeste" ever safe?
Frequency check: "modes" vs "modeste" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "modes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "modeste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #415,577 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "modes" and "modeste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "modes vs moqués". 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 #415,577 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.