Which to use
“challenge” and “challenges” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,220
- “challenge” frequency rank
- #18,145
- “challenges” frequency rank
- 23365
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | challenge | challenges |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Défi, épreuve. | Pluriel de challenge. |
Same sound, different letters: challenge vs challenges
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 9 letters.
Homophone desk: challenge vs challenges
This is the hard kind. challenge and challenges are pronounced identically (\tʃa.lɛndʒ\) and both work as anoun. 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) - “challenge” sits inside “challenges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23365, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
challenge is recorded at frequency rank #5,220, classified as anoun, pronounced \tʃa.lɛndʒ\. challenges is at rank #18,145, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tʃa.lɛndʒ\.
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 23365, this pair ranks #352,913 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of challenge vs challenges
Shared letters: aceghln. Private to "challenge": -. Private to "challenges": s.
"challenge" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCCV · "challenges" · 10 letters · shape CCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- challenge ← cahllenge · cchallenge · chalelnge · chalenge · challegne · challeneg · challengge · challennge
- challenges ← cahllenges · cchallenges · chalelnges · chalenges · challegnes · challenegs · challengess · challengges
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "challenge" for "challenges" ever safe?
Which is more common, "challenge" or "challenges"?
What to do next
You've separated the homophone pair "challenge" / "challenges". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "challenge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "challenges" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #352,913 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "challenge" and "challenges" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "challenge vs Charlène". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #352,913 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.