4evsquatrièmeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“4e” and “quatrième” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#6,157
“4e” frequency rank
#1,751
“quatrième” frequency rank
7908
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature 4e quatrième
Definition Quatrième. Adjectif ordinal correspondant au nombre quatre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set 4e and quatrième apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
4e
9 ch
quatrième

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. 4e and quatrième are pronounced identically (\ka.tʁi.jɛm\) and both work as anadjective. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 7 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7908, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

4e is recorded at frequency rank #6,157, classified as anadj, pronounced \ka.tʁi.jɛm\. quatrième is at rank #1,751, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ka.tʁi.jɛm\.

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 7908, this pair ranks #421,756 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of 4e vs quatrième

Shared letters: e. Private to "4e": -. Private to "quatrième": aimqrtuè.

"4e" · 1 letters · shape V  ·  "quatrième" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVVCV

Frequency comparison

4e#6,157
quatrième#1,751

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "4e" and "quatrième" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\ka.tʁi.jɛm\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.
Which is more common, "4e" or "quatrième"?
"quatrième" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,751 in our French list, against #6,157 for "4e". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering 4e vs quatrième

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 “4e” 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