Which to use
“pensée” and “percée” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,534
- “pensée” frequency rank
- #11,826
- “percée” frequency rank
- 13360
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pensée | percée |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Toute opération de l’esprit, de la conscience. | Ouverture pratiquée soit pour faire un chemin, soit pour se procurer un point de vue. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pensée and percée apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. pensée (\pɑ̃.se\) and percée (\pɛʁ.se\) 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 13360, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pensée is recorded at frequency rank #1,534, classified as anoun, pronounced \pɑ̃.se\. percée is at rank #11,826, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pɛʁ.se\.
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 13360, this pair ranks #401,332 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pensée vs percée
Shared letters: epé. Private to "pensée": ns. Private to "percée": cr.
"pensée" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "percée" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pensée" and "percée" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pensée" or "percée"?
Remembering pensée vs percée
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 “pensée” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable