Which to use
“crétin” is a noun and “crétins” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,606
- “crétin” frequency rank
- #16,333
- “crétins” frequency rank
- 31939
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | crétin | crétins |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Celui qui est affecté de crétinisme ou, par extension, de myxœdème congénital. | Masculin pluriel de crétin. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set crétin and crétins apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: crétin and crétins carry the same recorded pronunciation, \kʁe.tɛ̃\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “crétin” sits inside “crétins”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31939, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
crétin is recorded at frequency rank #15,606, classified as anoun, pronounced \kʁe.tɛ̃\. crétins is at rank #16,333, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kʁe.tɛ̃\.
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 31939, this pair ranks #300,613 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of crétin vs crétins
Shared letters: cinrté. Private to "crétin": -. Private to "crétins": s.
"crétin" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "crétins" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "crétin" and "crétins" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "crétin" or "crétins"?
Remembering crétin vs crétins
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “crétin”; for an adjective, it's “crétins”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “crétin” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable