deuxièmesvsdixièmesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,227
“deuxièmes” frequency rank
#31,448
“dixièmes” frequency rank
53675
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deuxièmes dixièmes
Definition Pluriel de deuxième. Pluriel de dixième.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
deuxièmes
8 ch
dixièmes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. deuxièmes (\dø.zjɛm\) and dixièmes (\di.zjɛm\) 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 53675, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deuxièmes is recorded at frequency rank #22,227, classified as anadj, pronounced \dø.zjɛm\. dixièmes is at rank #31,448, tagged as anadj, pronounced \di.zjɛm\.

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 53675, this pair ranks #139,176 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of deuxièmes vs dixièmes

Shared letters: deimsxè. Private to "deuxièmes": u. Private to "dixièmes": -.

"deuxièmes" · 9 letters · shape CVVCVVCVC  ·  "dixièmes" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC

Frequency comparison

deuxièmes#22,227
dixièmes#31,448

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deuxièmes" and "dixièmes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\dø.zjɛm\ versus \di.zjɛm\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "deuxièmes" or "dixièmes"?
"deuxièmes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,227 in our French list, against #31,448 for "dixièmes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering deuxièmes vs dixièmes

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 “deuxièmes” 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