Which to use
“combien” is an adverb and “combinée” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #866
- “combien” frequency rank
- #16,324
- “combinée” frequency rank
- 17190
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | combien | combinée |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | En quelle quantité, en quel nombre. Note d’usage : Utilisé avec de, en. | Féminin singulier de combiné. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set combien and combinée apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: combien is \kɔ̃.bjɛ̃\ while combinée is \kɔ̃.bi.ne\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17190, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
combien is recorded at frequency rank #866, classified as anadv, pronounced \kɔ̃.bjɛ̃\. combinée is at rank #16,324, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kɔ̃.bi.ne\.
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 17190, this pair ranks #384,353 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of combien vs combinée
Shared letters: bceimno. Private to "combien": -. Private to "combinée": é.
"combien" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "combinée" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- combien ← ccombien · cmobien · cobmien · combbien · combein · combienn · combine · comiben
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "combien" and "combinée" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "combien" or "combinée"?
Remembering combien vs combinée
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “combien”; for an adjective, it's “combinée”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “combien” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable