vêtuvsviteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,940
“vêtu” frequency rank
#406
“vite” frequency rank
14346
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vêtu vite
Definition Enveloppé dans un vêtement. Rapide, qui se meut avec célérité, avec promptitude ; se dit surtout dans le sport, sinon plutôt des animaux et des choses dont le mouvement est rapide.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vêtu and vite apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
vêtu
4 ch
vite

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vêtu (\ve.ty\) and vite (\vit\) 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 14346, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vêtu is recorded at frequency rank #13,940, classified as anadj, pronounced \ve.ty\. vite is at rank #406, tagged as anadj, pronounced \vit\.

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 14346, this pair ranks #397,094 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vêtu vs vite

Shared letters: tv. Private to "vêtu": . Private to "vite": ei.

"vêtu" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "vite" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • viteivte · vitte · vtie · vvite

Frequency comparison

vêtu#13,940
vite#406

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vêtu" and "vite" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ve.ty\ versus \vit\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vêtu" or "vite"?
"vite" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #406 in our French list, against #13,940 for "vêtu". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering vêtu vs vite

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 “vêtu” 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