Which to use
“peigne” is a noun and “plaigne” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,363
- “peigne” frequency rank
- #49,858
- “plaigne” frequency rank
- 69221
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | peigne | plaigne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Instrument de buis, de corne, d’ivoire, de plastique, etc., qui est taillé en forme de dents et qui sert à démêler et à arranger les cheveux et la barbe. | Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de plaindre. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set peigne and plaigne apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: peigne is \pɛɲ\ while plaigne is \plɛɲ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69221, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
peigne is recorded at frequency rank #19,363, classified as anoun, pronounced \pɛɲ\. plaigne is at rank #49,858, tagged as averb, pronounced \plɛɲ\.
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 69221, this pair ranks #55,994 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of peigne vs plaigne
Shared letters: eginp. Private to "peigne": -. Private to "plaigne": al.
"peigne" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "plaigne" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "peigne" and "plaigne" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "peigne" or "plaigne"?
Remembering peigne vs plaigne
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “peigne”; for a verb, it's “plaigne”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “peigne” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable