conventionvsconvictionWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,357
“convention” frequency rank
#6,071
“conviction” frequency rank
8428
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature convention conviction
Definition Action de convenir, accord, pacte. Effet qu’une preuve évidente produit dans l’esprit, certitude que l’on a de la vérité d’un fait, d’un principe.

Where the spellings diverge

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

10 ch
convention
10 ch
conviction

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. convention (\kɔ̃.vɑ̃.sjɔ̃\) and conviction (\kɔ̃.vik.sjɔ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8428, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

convention is recorded at frequency rank #2,357, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃.vɑ̃.sjɔ̃\. conviction is at rank #6,071, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃.vik.sjɔ̃\.

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 8428, this pair ranks #420,058 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of convention vs conviction

Shared letters: cinotv. Private to "convention": e. Private to "conviction": -.

"convention" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC  ·  "conviction" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • conventioncconvention · cnovention · conevntion · connvention · conveniton · convenntion · conventino · conventionn
  • convictioncconviction · cnoviction · conivction · connviction · convcition · convicction · conviciton · convictino

Frequency comparison

convention#2,357
conviction#6,071

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "convention" and "conviction" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\kɔ̃.vɑ̃.sjɔ̃\ versus \kɔ̃.vik.sjɔ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "convention" or "conviction"?
"convention" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,357 in our French list, against #6,071 for "conviction". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering convention vs conviction

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 “convention” 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