Which to use
“salé” is an adjective and “ste” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,405
- “salé” frequency rank
- #10,412
- “ste” frequency rank
- 20817
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | salé | ste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui contient du sel. | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de stare. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set salé and ste 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: salé is \sa.le\ while ste is \ˈstɛ\. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20817, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
salé is recorded at frequency rank #10,405, classified as anadj, pronounced \sa.le\. ste is at rank #10,412, tagged as averb, pronounced \ˈstɛ\.
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 20817, this pair ranks #366,347 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of salé vs ste
Shared letters: s. Private to "salé": alé. Private to "ste": et.
"salé" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "ste" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "salé" and "ste" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "salé" or "ste"?
Remembering salé vs ste
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “salé”; for a verb, it's “ste”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “salé” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable