Which to use
“passé” and “pavée” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #318
- “passé” frequency rank
- #36,525
- “pavée” frequency rank
- 36843
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | passé | pavée |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Le temps écoulé. | Synonyme de digitale pourpre ou pourprée, Digitalis purpurea, plante de la famille des scrofulariacées. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set passé and pavée apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. passé (\pa.se\) and pavée (\pa.ve\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36843, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
passé is recorded at frequency rank #318, classified as anoun, pronounced \pa.se\. pavée is at rank #36,525, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pa.ve\.
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 36843, this pair ranks #266,752 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of passé vs pavée
Shared letters: apé. Private to "passé": s. Private to "pavée": ev.
"passé" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "pavée" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "passé" and "pavée" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "passé" or "pavée"?
Remembering passé vs pavée
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 “passé” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable