Which to use
“râle” is a noun and “ras” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,052
- “râle” frequency rank
- #6,546
- “ras” frequency rank
- 24598
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | râle | ras |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bruit rauque produit par la respiration quand elle est embarrassée, particulièrement chez les agonisants. | Qui a le poil très court, coupé tout près de la peau, en parlant d’un être vivant. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set râle and ras apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter 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: râle is \ʁal\ while ras is \ʁa\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24598, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
râle is recorded at frequency rank #18,052, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁal\. ras is at rank #6,546, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁa\.
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 24598, this pair ranks #345,693 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of râle vs ras
Shared letters: r. Private to "râle": elâ. Private to "ras": as.
"râle" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "ras" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "râle" and "ras" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "râle" or "ras"?
Remembering râle vs ras
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “râle”; for an adjective, it's “ras”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “râle” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable