Which to use
“combien” is an adverb and “combiner” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #866
- “combien” frequency rank
- #14,882
- “combiner” frequency rank
- 15748
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | combien | combiner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | En quelle quantité, en quel nombre. Note d’usage : Utilisé avec de, en. | Assembler plusieurs choses en les disposant deux à deux. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set combien and combiner 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 combiner 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15748, 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\. combiner is at rank #14,882, tagged as averb, 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 15748, this pair ranks #390,997 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of combien vs combiner
Shared letters: bceimno. Private to "combien": -. Private to "combiner": r.
"combien" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "combiner" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "combien" and "combiner" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "combien" or "combiner"?
Remembering combien vs combiner
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “combien”; for a verb, it's “combiner”.
- 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