décisif vs décisifs, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#8,989
“décisif” frequency rank: #25,291
“décisifs” frequency rank: 34280
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	décisif	décisifs
Definition	Qui emporte la décision.	Masculin pluriel de décisif.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set décisif and décisifs apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

décisif

8 ch

décisifs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. décisif and décisifs are pronounced identically (\de.si.zif\) and both work as anadjective. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “décisif” sits inside “décisifs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34280, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

décisif is recorded at frequency rank #8,989, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.si.zif\. décisifs is at rank #25,291, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.si.zif\.

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 34280, this pair ranks #284,920 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of décisif vs décisifs

Shared letters: cdfisé. Private to "décisif": -. Private to "décisifs": -.

"décisif" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "décisifs" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC

Frequency comparison

décisif#8,989

décisifs#25,291

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "décisif" and "décisifs" be used interchangeably?

No. They are pronounced the same (\de.si.zif\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.

Which is more common, "décisif" or "décisifs"?

"décisif" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,989 in our French list, against #25,291 for "décisifs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering décisif vs décisifs

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 “décisif” entry
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