Which to use
“T4” is a noun and “tem” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,791
- “T4” frequency rank
- #46,481
- “tem” frequency rank
- 71272
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | T4 | tem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Quatrième trimestre : octobre, novembre et décembre. | Troisième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de ter. |
Where the eye mixes T4 and tem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses T4 with tem
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: T4 is \te.katʁ\ while tem is \tɐ̃j\. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71272, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
T4 is recorded at frequency rank #24,791, classified as anoun, pronounced \te.katʁ\. tem is at rank #46,481, tagged as averb, pronounced \tɐ̃j\.
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 71272, this pair ranks #48,171 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of T4 vs tem
Shared letters: t. Private to "T4": -. Private to "tem": em.
"T4" · 1 letters · shape C · "tem" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "T4" for "tem" ever safe?
Which is more common, "T4" or "tem"?
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 "T4" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #48,171 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "T4" and "tem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tem vs tif". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #48,171 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.