voilevsvoltWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,653
“voile” frequency rank
#33,072
“volt” frequency rank
35725
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature voile volt
Definition Large pièce de tissu assurant la propulsion des navires ou des moulins, par la force du vent. Unité de mesure de force électromotrice et de tension électrique du Système international, égale à la différence de potentiel entre deux points d’un conducteur transportant un courant d’un ampère quand la puissance dissipée entre ces deux points est d’un watt. Son symbole est V.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set voile and volt apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
voile
4 ch
volt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

voile and volt 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 35725, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

voile is recorded at frequency rank #2,653, classified as anoun, pronounced \vwal\. volt is at rank #33,072, tagged as anoun, pronounced \vɔlt\.

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 35725, this pair ranks #274,694 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

voile#2,653
volt#33,072

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "voile" and "volt" be used interchangeably?
No, "voile" and "volt" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering voile vs volt

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 “voile” 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