bâtimentvsbâtimentsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,729
“bâtiment” frequency rank
#2,762
“bâtiments” frequency rank
4491
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bâtiment bâtiments
Definition Construction close faite pour loger des hommes ou des animaux, ou pour abriter des denrées, des récoltes, pour servir à des industries, à des services publics, etc. Pluriel de bâtiment.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
bâtiment
9 ch
bâtiments

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bâtiment (\bɑ.ti.mɑ̃\) and bâtiments (\ba.ti.mɑ̃\) 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 extra letter(s) - “bâtiment” sits inside “bâtiments”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4491, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bâtiment is recorded at frequency rank #1,729, classified as anoun, pronounced \bɑ.ti.mɑ̃\. bâtiments is at rank #2,762, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ba.ti.mɑ̃\.

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 4491, this pair ranks #431,469 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of bâtiment vs bâtiments

Shared letters: beimntâ. Private to "bâtiment": -. Private to "bâtiments": s.

"bâtiment" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC  ·  "bâtiments" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCC

Frequency comparison

bâtiment#1,729
bâtiments#2,762

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bâtiment" and "bâtiments" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\bɑ.ti.mɑ̃\ versus \ba.ti.mɑ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bâtiment" or "bâtiments"?
"bâtiment" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,729 in our French list, against #2,762 for "bâtiments". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bâtiment vs bâtiments

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 “bâtiment” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list