Which to use
“pertes” and “pertuis” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,485
- “pertes” frequency rank
- #44,627
- “pertuis” frequency rank
- 48112
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pertes | pertuis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de perte. | Ouverture ; trou. |
Where the eye mixes pertes and pertuis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. pertes runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against pertuis's 7 (CVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses pertes with pertuis
A purely visual mix-up. pertes (\pɛʁt\) and pertuis (\pɛʁ.tɥi\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48112, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pertes is recorded at frequency rank #3,485, classified as anoun, pronounced \pɛʁt\. pertuis is at rank #44,627, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pɛʁ.tɥi\.
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 48112, this pair ranks #181,522 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pertes vs pertuis
Shared letters: eprst. Private to "pertes": -. Private to "pertuis": iu.
"pertes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "pertuis" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pertes" and "pertuis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pertes" or "pertuis"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pertes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pertuis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #181,522 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pertes" and "pertuis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "perdais vs pertuis". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #181,522 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.