continuevscontinuesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“continue” and “continues” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#867
“continue” frequency rank
#10,848
“continues” frequency rank
11715
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature continue continues
Definition Dans une filature appareil destiné à diviser la nappe en fils. Pluriel de continue.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set continue and continues apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
continue
9 ch
continues

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

continue and continues form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “continue” sits inside “continues” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11715, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

continue is recorded at frequency rank #867, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃.ti.ny\. continues is at rank #10,848, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃.ti.ny\.

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 11715, this pair ranks #408,121 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

continue#867
continues#10,848

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "continue" and "continues" be used interchangeably?
No, "continue" and "continues" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering continue vs continues

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 “continue” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list