Which to use
“controverse” is a noun and “controversée” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,830
- “controverse” frequency rank
- #17,102
- “controversée” frequency rank
- 25932
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | controverse | controversée |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Débat sur une question, sur une opinion, etc. suscité par des avis divergents. | Féminin singulier de controversé. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set controverse and controversée apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: controverse is \kɔ̃.tʁɔ.vɛʁs\ while controversée is \kɔ̃.tʁɔ.vɛʁ.se\. 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 25932, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
controverse is recorded at frequency rank #8,830, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃.tʁɔ.vɛʁs\. controversée is at rank #17,102, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kɔ̃.tʁɔ.vɛʁ.se\.
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 25932, this pair ranks #338,034 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of controverse vs controversée
Shared letters: cenorstv. Private to "controverse": -. Private to "controversée": é.
"controverse" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCV · "controversée" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- controverse ← ccontroverse · cnotroverse · conntroverse · conrtoverse · contorverse · controevrse · controveres · controverrse
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "controverse" and "controversée" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "controverse" or "controversée"?
Remembering controverse vs controversée
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “controverse”; for an adjective, it's “controversée”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “controverse” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable