Which to use
“arrêtaient” is a verb and “arrêtant” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,228
- “arrêtaient” frequency rank
- #19,744
- “arrêtant” frequency rank
- 48972
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arrêtaient | arrêtant |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif imparfait du verbe arrêter. | Pièce de bois ou de métal pour arrêter le crochet, etc. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set arrêtaient and arrêtant apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: arrêtaient is \a.ʁɛ.tɛ\ while arrêtant is \a.ʁɛ.tɑ̃\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48972, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arrêtaient is recorded at frequency rank #29,228, classified as averb, pronounced \a.ʁɛ.tɛ\. arrêtant is at rank #19,744, tagged as anoun, pronounced \a.ʁɛ.tɑ̃\.
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 48972, this pair ranks #174,550 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of arrêtaient vs arrêtant
Shared letters: anrtê. Private to "arrêtaient": ei. Private to "arrêtant": -.
"arrêtaient" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVVVCC · "arrêtant" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "arrêtaient" and "arrêtant" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "arrêtaient" or "arrêtant"?
Remembering arrêtaient vs arrêtant
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “arrêtaient”; for a noun, it's “arrêtant”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “arrêtaient” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable