texvstomConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#23,048
“tex” frequency rank
#2,600
“tom” frequency rank
25648
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tex tom
Definition Unité de mesure du titrage (masse linéique) des fils et filés, équivalant à 10⁻⁶ kg/m. Son symbole est tx. Abréviation courante de tom-tom (instrument de percussion).

Where the eye mixes tex and tom

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
tex
3 ch
tom

Visual trap between tex and tom

A purely visual mix-up. tex (\tɛks\) and tom (\tɔm\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25648, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tex is recorded at frequency rank #23,048, classified as anoun, pronounced \tɛks\. 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 25648, this pair ranks #339,652 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tex vs tom

Shared letters: t. Private to "tex": ex. Private to "tom": mo.

"tex" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "tom" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tex" and "tom" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\tɛks\ versus \tɔm\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary French text, does "tex" or "tom" show up more?
"tom" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,600 in our French list, against #23,048 for "tex". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "tex" 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 #339,652 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "tex" and "tom" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tex vs tif". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #339,652 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list