Which to use
“pertes” and “pètes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,485
- “pertes” frequency rank
- #48,737
- “pètes” frequency rank
- 52222
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pertes | pètes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de perte. | Pluriel de pète. |
Where the eye mixes pertes and pètes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. pertes runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against pètes's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: pertes vs pètes
A purely visual mix-up. pertes (\pɛʁt\) and pètes (\pɛt\) 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 52222, 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\. pètes is at rank #48,737, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pɛt\.
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 52222, this pair ranks #149,231 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pertes vs pètes
Shared letters: epst. Private to "pertes": r. Private to "pètes": è.
"pertes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "pètes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- pertes ← eprtes · perets · perrtes · pertess · pertse · perttes · petres · ppertes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pertes" and "pètes" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "pertes" vs "pètes" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "pètes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #149,231 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pertes" and "pètes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "peep vs pètes". 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 #149,231 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.