Which to use
“quai” is a noun and “ques” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,609
- “quai” frequency rank
- #37,992
- “ques” frequency rank
- 42601
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quai | ques |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Levée ordinairement revêtue de pierres de taille et faite le long d’une rivière ou d’un canal, pour rendre le chemin praticable et pour empêcher le débordement de l’eau. | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif présent de quesen. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set quai and ques apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: quai is \kɛ\ while ques is \kveːs\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 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 42601, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
quai is recorded at frequency rank #4,609, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɛ\. ques is at rank #37,992, tagged as averb, pronounced \kveːs\.
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 42601, this pair ranks #224,387 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of quai vs ques
Shared letters: qu. Private to "quai": ai. Private to "ques": es.
"quai" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "ques" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "quai" and "ques" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "quai" or "ques"?
Remembering quai vs ques
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “quai”; for a verb, it's “ques”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “quai” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable