Français homophones

cet/cette/sept/set/sets

"cet" is a determiner; "sept" is an adjective - grammar picks the spelling, not sound. Size rank #101 of 9,139 French groups.

Data vintage 2026-05-06

Grammar picks the spelling

Same sound, different grammar: "cet" arrives as a determiner, while "sept" is an adjective. Once the sentence role is fixed, only one spelling fits.

Spelling pairs in this cluster

Shared stem "cet" then splits - "cet" (3 letters) vs "cette" (5).
No shared spelling stem: "cet" is 3 letters, "sept" is 4; only the sound ties them.
No shared spelling stem: "cet" is 3 letters, "set" is 3; only the sound ties them.
No shared spelling stem: "cet" is 3 letters, "sets" is 4; only the sound ties them.
No shared spelling stem: "cette" is 5 letters, "sept" is 4; only the sound ties them.
No shared spelling stem: "cette" is 5 letters, "set" is 3; only the sound ties them.
No shared spelling stem: "cette" is 5 letters, "sets" is 4; only the sound ties them.
Shared stem "se" then splits - "sept" (4 letters) vs "set" (3).
Shared stem "se" then splits - "sept" (4 letters) vs "sets" (4).
Shared stem "set" then splits - "set" (3 letters) vs "sets" (4).

Orthographic DNA of this cluster

Shared letters across cet, cette, sept, set, sets: et. Private letters are the ones only one spelling owns: the eye's fastest tell once sound is out of the picture.

cet
3 letters · 1 vowels · shape CVC
Inventory cet · private c
cette
5 letters · 2 vowels · shape CVCCV
Inventory cet · private c
sept
4 letters · 1 vowels · shape CVCC
Inventory epst · private ps
set
3 letters · 1 vowels · shape CVC
Inventory est · private s
sets
4 letters · 1 vowels · shape CVCC
Inventory est · private s

Pick the spelling from the meaning

Write "cet" when you mean: Variante de ce devant une voyelle.
Write "cette" when you mean: Féminin singulier du déterminant démonstratif ce.
Write "sept" when you mean: Six plus un, adjectif numéral cardinal correspondant au nombre 7.
Write "set" when you mean: Ensemble, trousse, équipement, assortiment.
Write "sets" when you mean: Pluriel de set.

Known mistypes of these spellings

Edit-distance variants recorded against this cluster: useful when a search or OCR feed lands on the wrong form.

cette ← ccette · cete · cetet · ctete · ectte
sept ← espt · seppt · septt · setp · spet · ssept
sets ← ests · sest · setss · setts · ssets · stes

Each spelling

cet

determiner · /\sɛt\/ · #174 frequency

Variante de ce devant une voyelle.

cette

determiner · /\sɛt\/ · #55 frequency

Féminin singulier du déterminant démonstratif ce.

sept

adjective · /\sɛt\/ · #831 frequency

Six plus un, adjectif numéral cardinal correspondant au nombre 7.

set

noun · /\sɛt\/ · #6,758 frequency

Ensemble, trousse, équipement, assortiment.

sets

noun · /\sɛt\/ · #16,014 frequency

Pluriel de set.