Which to use
“sample” and “simples” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,483
- “sample” frequency rank
- #2,596
- “simples” frequency rank
- 43079
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sample | simples |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante de semple. | Plantes condimentaires et médicinales telles que la lavande, le romarin, la sauge, le thym, la camomille, l’armoise, l’hysope, etc. |
Where the eye mixes sample and simples
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sample with simples
A purely visual mix-up. sample (\sɑ̃pl\) and simples (\sɛ̃pl\) 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 43079, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sample is recorded at frequency rank #40,483, classified as anoun, pronounced \sɑ̃pl\. simples is at rank #2,596, tagged as anoun, pronounced \sɛ̃pl\.
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 43079, this pair ranks #220,787 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sample vs simples
Shared letters: elmps. Private to "sample": a. Private to "simples": i.
"sample" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "simples" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sample" for "simples" ever safe?
Frequency check: "sample" vs "simples" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sample" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "simples" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #220,787 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sample" and "simples" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sample vs samples". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #220,787 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.