adjectifvsadjectifsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,099
“adjectif” frequency rank
#23,437
“adjectifs” frequency rank
36536
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature adjectif adjectifs
Definition Se dit d’un mot qui désigne une qualité ou une propriété d’une substance, par opposition au nom substantif qui désigne la substance elle-même. Masculin pluriel de adjectif.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set adjectif and adjectifs apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
adjectif
9 ch
adjectifs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. adjectif and adjectifs are pronounced identically (\ad.ʒɛk.tif\) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “adjectif” sits inside “adjectifs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36536, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

adjectif is recorded at frequency rank #13,099, classified as anadj, pronounced \ad.ʒɛk.tif\. adjectifs is at rank #23,437, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ad.ʒɛk.tif\.

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 36536, this pair ranks #268,930 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of adjectif vs adjectifs

Shared letters: acdefijt. Private to "adjectif": -. Private to "adjectifs": s.

"adjectif" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "adjectifs" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • adjectifaddjectif · adejctif · adjcetif · adjecctif · adjecitf · adjectfi · adjectiff · adjecttif
  • adjectifsaddjectifs · adejctifs · adjcetifs · adjecctifs · adjecitfs · adjectfis · adjectiffs · adjectifss

Frequency comparison

adjectif#13,099
adjectifs#23,437

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "adjectif" and "adjectifs" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\ad.ʒɛk.tif\), 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, "adjectif" or "adjectifs"?
"adjectif" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,099 in our French list, against #23,437 for "adjectifs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering adjectif vs adjectifs

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 “adjectif” 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