désagréablevsdésagréablesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,696
“désagréable” frequency rank
#22,835
“désagréables” frequency rank
31531
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature désagréable désagréables
Definition Qui déplaît, de quelque manière que ce soit. Pluriel de désagréable.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set désagréable and désagréables apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
désagréable
12 ch
désagréables

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. désagréable and désagréables are pronounced identically (\de.za.ɡʁe.abl\) 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) - “désagréable” sits inside “désagréables”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31531, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

désagréable is recorded at frequency rank #8,696, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.za.ɡʁe.abl\. désagréables is at rank #22,835, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.za.ɡʁe.abl\.

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 31531, this pair ranks #303,221 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of désagréable vs désagréables

Shared letters: abdeglrsé. Private to "désagréable": -. Private to "désagréables": -.

"désagréable" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCCV  ·  "désagréables" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCCVC

Frequency comparison

désagréable#8,696
désagréables#22,835

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "désagréable" and "désagréables" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\de.za.ɡʁe.abl\), 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, "désagréable" or "désagréables"?
"désagréable" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,696 in our French list, against #22,835 for "désagréables". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering désagréable vs désagréables

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 “désagréable” 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