regagnervsrégalerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,462
“regagner” frequency rank
#24,017
“régaler” frequency rank
37479
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature regagner régaler
Definition Gagner ce qu’on avait perdu. Donner un régal, offrir un plaisir de table.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set regagner and régaler apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
regagner
7 ch
régaler

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. regagner (\ʁə.ɡa.ɲe\) and régaler (\ʁe.ɡa.le\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37479, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

regagner is recorded at frequency rank #13,462, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁə.ɡa.ɲe\. régaler is at rank #24,017, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.ɡa.le\.

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 37479, this pair ranks #262,224 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of regagner vs régaler

Shared letters: aegr. Private to "regagner": n. Private to "régaler": .

"regagner" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "régaler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • regagnerergagner · reaggner · regagenr · regaggner · regagnerr · regagnner · regagnre · reganger

Frequency comparison

regagner#13,462
régaler#24,017

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "regagner" and "régaler" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁə.ɡa.ɲe\ versus \ʁe.ɡa.le\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "regagner" or "régaler"?
"regagner" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,462 in our French list, against #24,017 for "régaler". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering regagner vs régaler

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 “regagner” 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