traversevstraverséesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,387
“traverse” frequency rank
#21,494
“traversées” frequency rank
25881
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature traverse traversées
Definition Action de traverser. Pluriel de traversée.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set traverse and traversées apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
traverse
10 ch
traversées

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. traverse (\tʁa.vɛʁs\) and traversées (\tʁa.vɛʁ.se\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25881, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

traverse is recorded at frequency rank #4,387, classified as anoun, pronounced \tʁa.vɛʁs\. traversées is at rank #21,494, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tʁa.vɛʁ.se\.

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 25881, this pair ranks #338,346 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of traverse vs traversées

Shared letters: aerstv. Private to "traverse": -. Private to "traversées": é.

"traverse" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCCV  ·  "traversées" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • traversertaverse · tarverse · traevrse · traveres · traverrse · traversse · travesre · travrese

Frequency comparison

traverse#4,387
traversées#21,494

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "traverse" and "traversées" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\tʁa.vɛʁs\ versus \tʁa.vɛʁ.se\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "traverse" or "traversées"?
"traverse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,387 in our French list, against #21,494 for "traversées". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering traverse vs traversées

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 “traverse” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list