Which to use
“caractériser” is a verb and “caractérisés” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,952
- “caractériser” frequency rank
- #29,269
- “caractérisés” frequency rank
- 48221
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | caractériser | caractérisés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Définir par un caractère distinctif une personne ou une chose. | Masculin pluriel de caractérisé. |
Same sound, different letters: caractériser vs caractérisés
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 10 letters.
Ear matches; page differs - caractériser and caractérisés
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: caractériser and caractérisés carry the same recorded pronunciation, \ka.ʁak.te.ʁi.ze\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48221, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
caractériser is recorded at frequency rank #18,952, classified as averb, pronounced \ka.ʁak.te.ʁi.ze\. caractérisés is at rank #29,269, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ka.ʁak.te.ʁi.ze\.
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 48221, this pair ranks #180,667 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of caractériser vs caractérisés
Shared letters: acirsté. Private to "caractériser": e. Private to "caractérisés": -.
"caractériser" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVCVC · "caractérisés" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "caractériser" and "caractérisés" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "caractériser" or "caractérisés"?
What to do next
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "caractériser" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "caractérisés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #180,667 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "caractériser" and "caractérisés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "caractérisées vs caractérisés". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #180,667 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.