Which to use
“variole” and “viole” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,918
- “variole” frequency rank
- #13,489
- “viole” frequency rank
- 40407
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | variole | viole |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Maladie générale, infectieuse et contagieuse, des humains et des animaux, caractérisée par une éruption de boutons pustuleux, qui laissent ordinairement de petits creux dans la peau après la guérison. | Instrument de musique à six ou sept cordes, dont on joue avec un archet. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set variole and viole apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. variole (\va.ʁjɔl\) and viole (\vjɔl\) 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 40407, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
variole is recorded at frequency rank #26,918, classified as anoun, pronounced \va.ʁjɔl\. viole is at rank #13,489, tagged as anoun, pronounced \vjɔl\.
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 40407, this pair ranks #240,747 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of variole vs viole
Shared letters: eilov. Private to "variole": ar. Private to "viole": -.
"variole" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "viole" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "variole" and "viole" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "variole" or "viole"?
Remembering variole vs viole
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 “variole” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable