Which to use
“commençaient” and “commencèrent” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,394
- “commençaient” frequency rank
- #19,783
- “commencèrent” frequency rank
- 40177
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | commençaient | commencèrent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif imparfait de commencer. | Troisième personne du pluriel du passé simple de commencer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set commençaient and commencèrent apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. commençaient (\kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛ\) and commencèrent (\kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛʁ\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40177, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
commençaient is recorded at frequency rank #20,394, classified as averb, pronounced \kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛ\. commencèrent is at rank #19,783, tagged as averb, pronounced \kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛʁ\.
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 40177, this pair ranks #242,437 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of commençaient vs commencèrent
Shared letters: cemnot. Private to "commençaient": aiç. Private to "commencèrent": rè.
"commençaient" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVVCC · "commencèrent" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCVCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "commençaient" and "commencèrent" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "commençaient" or "commencèrent"?
Remembering commençaient vs commencèrent
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 “commençaient” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable