Which to use
“problème” is a noun and “proclamé” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #329
- “problème” frequency rank
- #14,331
- “proclamé” frequency rank
- 14660
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | problème | proclamé |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Question scientifique à résoudre. | Participe passé masculin singulier de proclamer. |
Where the eye mixes problème and proclamé
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. problème and proclamé follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between problème and proclamé
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: problème is \pʁɔ.blɛm\ while proclamé is \pʁɔ.kla.me\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14660, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
problème is recorded at frequency rank #329, classified as anoun, pronounced \pʁɔ.blɛm\. proclamé is at rank #14,331, tagged as averb, pronounced \pʁɔ.kla.me\.
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 14660, this pair ranks #395,740 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of problème vs proclamé
Shared letters: lmopr. Private to "problème": beè. Private to "proclamé": acé.
"problème" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCV · "proclamé" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "problème" for "proclamé" ever safe?
Frequency check: "problème" vs "proclamé" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "problème" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "proclamé" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #395,740 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "problème" and "proclamé" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "proclamé vs proclamés". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #395,740 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.