Which to use
“pétanque” and “planque” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,639
- “pétanque” frequency rank
- #26,828
- “planque” frequency rank
- 46467
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pétanque | planque |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Jeu de boules, originaire du Midi provençal, pratiqué sur terrain quelconque, et dont les parties se jouent en treize ou quinze points, avec des équipes de deux ou trois joueurs, disposant chacune de six boules métalliques qui doivent être lancées le plus près possible du cochonnet, dans une posture précise (jambe droite en arrière, le pied gauche ne portant sur le sol que par le talon). | Cachette. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pétanque and planque apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
pétanque and planque 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 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46467, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pétanque is recorded at frequency rank #19,639, classified as anoun, pronounced \pe.tɑ̃k\. planque is at rank #26,828, tagged as anoun, pronounced \plɑ̃k\.
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 46467, this pair ranks #194,699 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pétanque" and "planque" be used interchangeably?
Remembering pétanque vs planque
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 “pétanque” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable