quatrevsquoteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: quatre is a adjective, quote is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“quatre” is an adjective and “quote” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#320
“quatre” frequency rank
#20,831
“quote” frequency rank
21151
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature quatre quote
Definition Trois plus un, adjectif numéral cardinal correspondant au nombre 4. Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de quoter.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set quatre and quote apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
quatre
5 ch
quote

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

quatre and quote 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 21151, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

quatre is recorded at frequency rank #320, classified as anadj, pronounced \katʁ\. quote is at rank #20,831, tagged as averb, pronounced \kwot\.

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 21151, this pair ranks #364,594 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

quatre#320
quote#20,831

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "quatre" and "quote" be used interchangeably?
No, "quatre" and "quote" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering quatre vs quote

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “quatre”; for a verb, it's “quote”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “quatre” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list