Which to use
“gendarme” and “gendarmes” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,165
- “gendarme” frequency rank
- #32,680
- “gendarmes” frequency rank
- 79845
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gendarme | gendarmes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Agente armado policial. | Forma del plural de gendarme. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gendarme and gendarmes apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. gendarme ([xẽn̪ˈd̪aɾme]) and gendarmes ([xẽn̪ˈd̪aɾmes]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “gendarme” sits inside “gendarmes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79845, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gendarme is recorded at frequency rank #47,165, classified as anoun, pronounced [xẽn̪ˈd̪aɾme]. gendarmes is at rank #32,680, tagged as anoun, pronounced [xẽn̪ˈd̪aɾmes].
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 79845, this pair ranks #12,452 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of gendarme vs gendarmes
Shared letters: adegmnr. Private to "gendarme": -. Private to "gendarmes": s.
"gendarme" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "gendarmes" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gendarme" and "gendarmes" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gendarme" or "gendarmes"?
Remembering gendarme vs gendarmes
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 “gendarme” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable