complètementvscomplètentWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: complètement is a adverb, complètent is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“complètement” is an adverb and “complètent” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#978
“complètement” frequency rank
#15,111
“complètent” frequency rank
16089
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature complètement complètent
Definition D’une manière complète. Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de compléter.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set complètement and complètent apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
complètement
10 ch
complètent

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: complètement is \kɔ̃.plɛt.mɑ̃\ while complètent is \kɔ̃.plɛt\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 16089, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

complètement is recorded at frequency rank #978, classified as anadv, pronounced \kɔ̃.plɛt.mɑ̃\. complètent is at rank #15,111, tagged as averb, pronounced \kɔ̃.plɛt\.

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 16089, this pair ranks #389,439 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of complètement vs complètent

Shared letters: celmnoptè. Private to "complètement": -. Private to "complètent": -.

"complètement" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVCC  ·  "complètent" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCC

Frequency comparison

complètement#978
complètent#15,111

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "complètement" and "complètent" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "complètement" is an adverb and "complètent" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "complètement" or "complètent"?
"complètement" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #978 in our French list, against #15,111 for "complètent". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering complètement vs complètent

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “complètement”; for a verb, it's “complètent”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “complètement” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list