Which to use
“modes” and “mottes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,588
- “modes” frequency rank
- #47,469
- “mottes” frequency rank
- 52057
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | modes | mottes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ensemble de parure que l’on rajoute à un vêtement, dentelles, plumes, etc. colifichet. Autrefois, l‘apanage des modistes. | Pluriel de motte. |
Where the eye mixes modes and mottes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses modes with mottes
A purely visual mix-up. modes (\mɔd\) and mottes (\mɔt\) 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 52057, 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\. mottes is at rank #47,469, tagged as anoun, pronounced \mɔt\.
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 52057, this pair ranks #150,484 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of modes vs mottes
Shared letters: emos. Private to "modes": d. Private to "mottes": t.
"modes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "mottes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "modes" and "mottes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "modes" or "mottes" show up more?
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 "mottes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #150,484 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "modes" and "mottes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mottes vs muettes". 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 #150,484 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.