Which to use
“ceci” is a pronoun and “cens” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #959
- “ceci” frequency rank
- #39,698
- “cens” frequency rank
- 40657
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ceci | cens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pronom démonstratif neutre désignant un objet situé à proximité de la personne qui parle ou une image située à proximité du mot. | Redevance de toute nature que certains biens devaient annuellement au seigneur du fief dont ils relevaient. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ceci and cens apart are highlighted. They share 2 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: ceci is \sə.si\ while cens is \sɑ̃s\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40657, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ceci is recorded at frequency rank #959, classified as apron, pronounced \sə.si\. cens is at rank #39,698, tagged as anoun, pronounced \sɑ̃s\.
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 40657, this pair ranks #238,929 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ceci vs cens
Shared letters: ce. Private to "ceci": i. Private to "cens": ns.
"ceci" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "cens" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ceci" and "cens" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ceci" or "cens"?
Remembering ceci vs cens
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “ceci”; for a noun, it's “cens”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ceci” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable