Which to use
“râler” is a verb and “raté” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,865
- “râler” frequency rank
- #3,217
- “raté” frequency rank
- 22082
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | râler | raté |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Faire entendre un râle, des râles en respirant. | Qui a raté, qui a échoué, qui n’a pas atteint son but. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set râler and raté 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: râler is \ʁa.le\ while raté is \ʁa.te\. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22082, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
râler is recorded at frequency rank #18,865, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁa.le\. raté is at rank #3,217, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁa.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 22082, this pair ranks #359,889 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of râler vs raté
Shared letters: r. Private to "râler": elâ. Private to "raté": até.
"râler" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "raté" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "râler" and "raté" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "râler" or "raté"?
Remembering râler vs raté
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “râler”; for an adjective, it's “raté”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “râler” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable