Which to use
“compétentes” and “compétents” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,099
- “compétentes” frequency rank
- #12,340
- “compétents” frequency rank
- 29439
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | compétentes | compétents |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de compétent. | Masculin pluriel de compétent. |
Where the eye mixes compétentes and compétents
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. compétentes runs 11 letters (CVCCVCVCCVC) against compétents's 10 (CVCCVCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: compétentes vs compétents
A purely visual mix-up. compétentes (\kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃t\) and compétents (\kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃\) 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 29439, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
compétentes is recorded at frequency rank #17,099, classified as anadj, pronounced \kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃t\. compétents is at rank #12,340, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃\.
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 29439, this pair ranks #316,662 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of compétentes vs compétents
Shared letters: cemnopsté. Private to "compétentes": -. Private to "compétents": -.
"compétentes" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC · "compétents" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "compétentes" and "compétents" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "compétentes" or "compétents"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "compétentes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "compétents" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #316,662 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "compétentes" and "compétents" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "campements vs compétents". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #316,662 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.