Which to use
“coincidence” and “coïncidences” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,206
- “coincidence” frequency rank
- #34,483
- “coïncidences” frequency rank
- 72689
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coincidence | coïncidences |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Coïncidence. | Pluriel de coïncidence. |
Where the eye mixes coincidence and coïncidences
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. coincidence runs 11 letters (CVVCCVCVCCV) against coïncidences's 12 (CVCCCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses coincidence with coïncidences
A purely visual mix-up. coincidence (\kəʊ.ˈɪn.sɪ.dəns\) and coïncidences (\kɔ.ɛ̃.si.dɑ̃s\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72689, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
coincidence is recorded at frequency rank #38,206, classified as anoun, pronounced \kəʊ.ˈɪn.sɪ.dəns\. coïncidences is at rank #34,483, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kɔ.ɛ̃.si.dɑ̃s\.
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 72689, this pair ranks #43,131 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of coincidence vs coïncidences
Shared letters: cdeino. Private to "coincidence": -. Private to "coïncidences": sï.
"coincidence" · 11 letters · shape CVVCCVCVCCV · "coïncidences" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- coincidence ← ccoincidence · cioncidence · coicnidence · coinccidence · coincdience · coinciddence · coincidecne · coincidencce
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "coincidence" for "coïncidences" ever safe?
Frequency check: "coincidence" vs "coïncidences" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "coincidence" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "coïncidences" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #43,131 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coincidence" and "coïncidences" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "coincidence vs coïncident". 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 #43,131 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.