2evs2ndTell them apart

Which to use

“2e” and “2nd” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,906
“2e” frequency rank
#14,837
“2nd” frequency rank
17743
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature 2e 2nd
Definition Deuxième. Second.

Where the eye mixes 2e and 2nd

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

2 ch
2e
3 ch
2nd

Look-alike desk: 2e vs 2nd

A purely visual mix-up. 2e (\dø.zjɛm\) and 2nd (\sɛ.ɡɔ̃\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17743, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

2e is recorded at frequency rank #2,906, classified as anadj, pronounced \dø.zjɛm\. 2nd is at rank #14,837, tagged as anadj, pronounced \sɛ.ɡɔ̃\.

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 17743, this pair ranks #381,690 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of 2e vs 2nd

Shared letters: none. Private to "2e": e. Private to "2nd": dn.

"2e" · 1 letters · shape V  ·  "2nd" · 2 letters · shape CC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "2e" for "2nd" ever safe?
No. They are said differently (\dø.zjɛm\ versus \sɛ.ɡɔ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "2e" vs "2nd" - which ranks higher?
"2e" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,906 in our French list, against #14,837 for "2nd". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "2e" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "2nd" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #381,690 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "2e" and "2nd" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "2l vs 2nd". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #381,690 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list