différentevsdifférentsWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#2,571
“différente” frequency rank
#737
“différents” frequency rank
3308
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature différente différents
Definition Féminin singulier de différent. Plusieurs et distincts les uns des autres.

Where the eye mixes différente and différents

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. différente (CVCCVCVCCV) and différents (CVCCVCVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

10 ch
différente
10 ch
différents

Why the eye confuses différente with différents

A purely visual mix-up. différente (\di.fe.ʁɑ̃t\) and différents (\di.fe.ʁɑ̃\) 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 a single letter - e in “différente” becomes s in “différents”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3308, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

différente is recorded at frequency rank #2,571, classified as anadj, pronounced \di.fe.ʁɑ̃t\. différents is at rank #737, tagged as anadj, pronounced \di.fe.ʁɑ̃\.

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 3308, this pair ranks #434,342 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of différente vs différents

Shared letters: definrté. Private to "différente": -. Private to "différents": s.

"différente" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV  ·  "différents" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "différente" for "différents" ever safe?
No. They are said differently (\di.fe.ʁɑ̃t\ versus \di.fe.ʁɑ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "différente" vs "différents" - which ranks higher?
"différents" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #737 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.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "différente" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "différents" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #434,342 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "différente" and "différents" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "différée vs différente". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #434,342 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