Which to use
“XIIe” and “XVIe” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,041
- “XIIe” frequency rank
- #9,768
- “XVIe” frequency rank
- 26809
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | XIIe | XVIe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Douzième. | Seizième. |
Where the eye mixes XIIe and XVIe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. XIIe (CVVV) and XVIe (CCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: XIIe vs XVIe
A purely visual mix-up. XIIe (\du.zjɛm\) and XVIe (\sɛ.zjɛm\) 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 a single letter - i in “XIIe” becomes v in “XVIe”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26809, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
XIIe is recorded at frequency rank #17,041, classified as anadj, pronounced \du.zjɛm\. XVIe is at rank #9,768, tagged as anadj, pronounced \sɛ.zjɛm\.
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 26809, this pair ranks #332,742 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of XIIe vs XVIe
Shared letters: eix. Private to "XIIe": -. Private to "XVIe": v.
"XIIe" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "XVIe" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "XIIe" for "XVIe" ever safe?
Frequency check: "XIIe" vs "XVIe" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "XIIe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "XVIe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #332,742 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "XIIe" and "XVIe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Xiao vs XIIe". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #332,742 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.