Which to use
“seille” and “semelle” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,308
- “seille” frequency rank
- #20,572
- “semelle” frequency rank
- 65880
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | seille | semelle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bassine, munie d’oreilles dans lesquelles on passe une corde en guise d’anse et qui sert à transporter les liquides, en particulier, le mout tiré du pressoir. | Pièce de cuir, de caoutchouc, qui fait le dessous d’une chaussure, d’une botte, d’une pantoufle. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set seille and semelle apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. seille (\sɛj\) and semelle (\sə.mɛl\) 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 65880, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
seille is recorded at frequency rank #45,308, classified as anoun, pronounced \sɛj\. semelle is at rank #20,572, tagged as anoun, pronounced \sə.mɛl\.
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 65880, this pair ranks #70,368 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of seille vs semelle
Shared letters: els. Private to "seille": i. Private to "semelle": m.
"seille" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "semelle" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "seille" and "semelle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "seille" or "semelle"?
Remembering seille vs semelle
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 “seille” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable