Which to use
“thé” and “thym” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,575
- “thé” frequency rank
- #32,217
- “thym” frequency rank
- 35792
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | thé | thym |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Boisson chaude préparée à partir d’une infusion de feuilles du théier. | Genre de plantes de la famille des Lamiacées dont l’espèce la plus connue est le Thymus vulgaris, plante aromatique et médicinale, qui est utilisée en cuisine et pour la préparation d’infusions et de décoctions. Sauvage et très répandu dans les garrigues des rives de la méditerranée, il est aussi, pour ses vertus, cultivé dans les jardins. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set thé and thym apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
thé and thym form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
thé is recorded at frequency rank #3,575, classified as anoun, pronounced \te\. thym is at rank #32,217, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tɛ̃\.
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 35792, this pair ranks #274,209 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "thé" and "thym" be used interchangeably?
Remembering thé vs thym
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 “thé” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable