soldatvssoldeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,504
“soldat” frequency rank
#5,925
“solde” frequency rank
9429
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature soldat solde
Definition Celui qui sert dans une armée, et reçoit une solde. Paie octroyée par l’armée à un de ses membres militaires ou, par extension, un de ses employés civils.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set soldat and solde apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
soldat
5 ch
solde

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. soldat (\sɔl.da\) and solde (\sɔld\) 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 9429, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

soldat is recorded at frequency rank #3,504, classified as anoun, pronounced \sɔl.da\. solde is at rank #5,925, tagged as anoun, pronounced \sɔld\.

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 9429, this pair ranks #416,675 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of soldat vs solde

Shared letters: dlos. Private to "soldat": at. Private to "solde": e.

"soldat" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "solde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • soldatosldat · slodat · sodlat · soladt · soldatt · solddat · soldta · solldat
  • soldeoslde · slode · sodle · soldde · soled · sollde · ssolde

Frequency comparison

soldat#3,504
solde#5,925

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "soldat" and "solde" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\sɔl.da\ versus \sɔld\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "soldat" or "solde"?
"soldat" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,504 in our French list, against #5,925 for "solde". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering soldat vs solde

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 “soldat” 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