Which to use
“peindre” and “poindre” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,607
- “peindre” frequency rank
- #41,458
- “poindre” frequency rank
- 49065
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | peindre | poindre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Enduire ou couvrir de peinture, de couleur ou de pigments. | Piquer quelqu'un ou quelque chose. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set peindre and poindre apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
peindre and poindre form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - e in “peindre” becomes o in “poindre” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49065, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
peindre is recorded at frequency rank #7,607, classified as averb, pronounced \pɛ̃dʁ\. poindre is at rank #41,458, tagged as averb, pronounced \pwɛ̃dʁ\.
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 49065, this pair ranks #173,761 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "peindre" and "poindre" be used interchangeably?
Remembering peindre vs poindre
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 “peindre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable