clandestinvsclandestinsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,835
“clandestin” frequency rank
#11,016
“clandestins” frequency rank
26851
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature clandestin clandestins
Definition Qui se fait en cachette et contre les lois ou la morale. Masculin pluriel de clandestin.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set clandestin and clandestins apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
clandestin
11 ch
clandestins

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. clandestin and clandestins are pronounced identically (\klɑ̃.dɛs.tɛ̃\) and both work as anadjective. 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) - “clandestin” sits inside “clandestins”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26851, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

clandestin is recorded at frequency rank #15,835, classified as anadj, pronounced \klɑ̃.dɛs.tɛ̃\. clandestins is at rank #11,016, tagged as anadj, pronounced \klɑ̃.dɛs.tɛ̃\.

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 26851, this pair ranks #332,470 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of clandestin vs clandestins

Shared letters: acdeilnst. Private to "clandestin": -. Private to "clandestins": -.

"clandestin" · 10 letters · shape CCVCCVCCVC  ·  "clandestins" · 11 letters · shape CCVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • clandestincalndestin · cclandestin · cladnestin · clanddestin · clandesitn · clandesstin · clandestinn · clandestni
  • clandestinscalndestins · cclandestins · cladnestins · clanddestins · clandesitns · clandesstins · clandestinns · clandestinss

Frequency comparison

clandestin#15,835
clandestins#11,016

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "clandestin" and "clandestins" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\klɑ̃.dɛs.tɛ̃\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.
Which is more common, "clandestin" or "clandestins"?
"clandestins" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,016 in our French list, against #15,835 for "clandestin". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering clandestin vs clandestins

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 “clandestin” 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