racontervsrajouterWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“raconter” and “rajouter” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,794
“raconter” frequency rank
#7,360
“rajouter” frequency rank
10154
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature raconter rajouter
Definition Faire le récit d’une histoire vraie ou imaginaire. Ajouter de nouveau.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set raconter and rajouter apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
raconter
8 ch
rajouter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. raconter (\ʁa.kɔ̃.te\) and rajouter (\ʁa.ʒu.te\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10154, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

raconter is recorded at frequency rank #2,794, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁa.kɔ̃.te\. rajouter is at rank #7,360, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁa.ʒu.te\.

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 10154, this pair ranks #414,035 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of raconter vs rajouter

Shared letters: aeort. Private to "raconter": cn. Private to "rajouter": ju.

"raconter" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "rajouter" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • raconterarconter · racconter · racnoter · raconetr · raconnter · raconterr · racontre · racontter
  • rajouterarjouter · rajjouter · rajotuer · rajouetr · rajouterr · rajoutre · rajoutter · rajuoter

Frequency comparison

raconter#2,794
rajouter#7,360

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "raconter" and "rajouter" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁa.kɔ̃.te\ versus \ʁa.ʒu.te\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "raconter" or "rajouter"?
"raconter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,794 in our French list, against #7,360 for "rajouter". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering raconter vs rajouter

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 “raconter” 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