Which to use
“compétences” is a noun and “compétente” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,766
- “compétences” frequency rank
- #13,995
- “compétente” frequency rank
- 16761
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | compétences | compétente |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de compétence. | Féminin singulier de compétent. |
Where the eye mixes compétences and compétente
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. compétences runs 11 letters (CVCCVCVCCVC) against compétente's 10 (CVCCVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: compétences vs compétente
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compétences is \kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃s\ while compétente is \kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃t\. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16761, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
compétences is recorded at frequency rank #2,766, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃s\. compétente is at rank #13,995, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃t\.
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 16761, this pair ranks #386,380 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of compétences vs compétente
Shared letters: cemnopté. Private to "compétences": s. Private to "compétente": -.
"compétences" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC · "compétente" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "compétences" and "compétente" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "compétences" vs "compétente" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "compétences" and "compétente" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "compétences" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "compétente" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #386,380 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "compétences" and "compétente" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compétente vs compétentes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #386,380 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.