différentvsdifférenteWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#1,768
“différent” frequency rank
#2,571
“différente” frequency rank
4339
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature différent différente
Definition Qui n’est pas pareil ; qui est autre ou distinct. Féminin singulier de différent.

Where the eye mixes différent and différente

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.

9 ch
différent
10 ch
différente

Why the eye confuses différent with différente

A purely visual mix-up. différent (\di.fe.ʁɑ̃\) and différente (\di.fe.ʁɑ̃t\) 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 extra letter(s) - “différent” sits inside “différente”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4339, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

différent is recorded at frequency rank #1,768, classified as anadj, pronounced \di.fe.ʁɑ̃\. différente is at rank #2,571, tagged as anadj, pronounced \di.fe.ʁɑ̃t\.

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 4339, this pair ranks #431,851 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of différent vs différente

Shared letters: definrté. Private to "différent": -. Private to "différente": -.

"différent" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC  ·  "différente" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "différent" and "différente" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (\di.fe.ʁɑ̃\ versus \di.fe.ʁɑ̃t\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "différent" vs "différente" - which ranks higher?
"différent" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,768 in our French list, against #2,571 for "différente". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "différent" and "différente" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "différent" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "différente" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #431,851 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "différent" and "différente" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "différée vs différente". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #431,851 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list