Which to use
“tes” is a determiner and “tom” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #297
- “tes” frequency rank
- #2,600
- “tom” frequency rank
- 2897
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tes | tom |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de ton, ta. | Abréviation courante de tom-tom (instrument de percussion). |
Where the eye mixes tes and tom
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tes with tom
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tes is \tɛ\ while tom is \tɔm\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (determiner vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2897, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tes is recorded at frequency rank #297, classified as adet, pronounced \tɛ\. tom is at rank #2,600, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tɔm\.
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 2897, this pair ranks #435,253 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tes vs tom
Shared letters: t. Private to "tes": es. Private to "tom": mo.
"tes" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tom" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "tes" and "tom" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "tes" or "tom" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tom" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #435,253 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tes" and "tom" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tif vs tom". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #435,253 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.