paramètrevspérimètreWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“paramètre” and “périmètre” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#15,957
“paramètre” frequency rank
#6,990
“périmètre” frequency rank
22947
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature paramètre périmètre
Definition Constante qui fixe la position d’une figure géométrique. Il a différentes acceptions selon les courbes auxquelles on l’applique. Contour d’une figure plane.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set paramètre and périmètre apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
paramètre
9 ch
périmètre

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. paramètre (\pa.ʁa.mɛtʁ\) and périmètre (\pe.ʁi.mɛtʁ\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22947, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

paramètre is recorded at frequency rank #15,957, classified as anoun, pronounced \pa.ʁa.mɛtʁ\. périmètre is at rank #6,990, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pe.ʁi.mɛtʁ\.

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 22947, this pair ranks #355,222 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of paramètre vs périmètre

Shared letters: emprtè. Private to "paramètre": a. Private to "périmètre": .

"paramètre" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV  ·  "périmètre" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV

Frequency comparison

paramètre#15,957
périmètre#6,990

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "paramètre" and "périmètre" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\pa.ʁa.mɛtʁ\ versus \pe.ʁi.mɛtʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "paramètre" or "périmètre"?
"périmètre" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,990 in our French list, against #15,957 for "paramètre". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering paramètre vs périmètre

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “paramètre” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list