distantesvsdistantsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,551
“distantes” frequency rank
#32,779
“distants” frequency rank
78330
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature distantes distants
Definition Féminin pluriel de distant. Masculin pluriel de distant.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set distantes and distants apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
distantes
8 ch
distants

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. distantes (\dis.tɑ̃t\) and distants (\dis.tɑ̃\) 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 78330, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

distantes is recorded at frequency rank #45,551, classified as anadj, pronounced \dis.tɑ̃t\. distants is at rank #32,779, tagged as anadj, pronounced \dis.tɑ̃\.

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 78330, this pair ranks #26,044 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of distantes vs distants

Shared letters: adinst. Private to "distantes": e. Private to "distants": -.

"distantes" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "distants" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • distantesddistantes · disatntes · disstantes · distanets · distanntes · distantess · distantse · distanttes
  • distantsddistants · disatnts · disstants · distannts · distanst · distantss · distantts · distatns

Frequency comparison

distantes#45,551
distants#32,779

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "distantes" and "distants" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\dis.tɑ̃t\ versus \dis.tɑ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "distantes" or "distants"?
"distants" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,779 in our French list, against #45,551 for "distantes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering distantes vs distants

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 “distantes” 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