Which to use
“dernières” is an adjective and “derrières” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #936
- “dernières” frequency rank
- #31,917
- “derrières” frequency rank
- 32853
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dernières | derrières |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de dernier. | Pluriel de derrière. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dernières and derrières apart are highlighted. They share 8 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: dernières is \dɛʁ.njɛʁ\ while derrières is \dɛ.ʁjɛʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “dernières” becomes r in “derrières”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32853, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dernières is recorded at frequency rank #936, classified as anadj, pronounced \dɛʁ.njɛʁ\. derrières is at rank #31,917, tagged as anoun, pronounced \dɛ.ʁjɛʁ\.
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 32853, this pair ranks #294,512 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dernières vs derrières
Shared letters: deirsè. Private to "dernières": n. Private to "derrières": -.
"dernières" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC · "derrières" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dernières" and "derrières" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dernières" or "derrières"?
Remembering dernières vs derrières
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “dernières”; for a noun, it's “derrières”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dernières” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable