délicatesvsdélicatsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,182
“délicates” frequency rank
#21,923
“délicats” frequency rank
40105
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature délicates délicats
Definition Féminin pluriel de délicat. Masculin pluriel de délicat.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
délicates
8 ch
délicats

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. délicates (\de.li.kat\) and délicats (\de.li.ka\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40105, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

délicates is recorded at frequency rank #18,182, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.li.kat\. délicats is at rank #21,923, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.li.ka\.

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 40105, this pair ranks #243,009 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of délicates vs délicats

Shared letters: acdilsté. Private to "délicates": e. Private to "délicats": -.

"délicates" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC  ·  "délicats" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC

Frequency comparison

délicates#18,182
délicats#21,923

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "délicates" and "délicats" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.li.kat\ versus \de.li.ka\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "délicates" or "délicats"?
"délicates" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,182 in our French list, against #21,923 for "délicats". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering délicates vs délicats

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 “délicates” 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