divergencevsdivergencesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,510
“divergence” frequency rank
#13,154
“divergences” frequency rank
32664
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature divergence divergences
Definition Le fait de diverger. Pluriel de divergence.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set divergence and divergences apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
divergence
11 ch
divergences

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. divergence and divergences are pronounced identically (\di.vɛʁ.ʒɑ̃s\) and both work as anoun. 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) - “divergence” sits inside “divergences”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

divergence is recorded at frequency rank #19,510, classified as anoun, pronounced \di.vɛʁ.ʒɑ̃s\. divergences is at rank #13,154, tagged as anoun, pronounced \di.vɛʁ.ʒɑ̃s\.

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 32664, this pair ranks #295,788 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of divergence vs divergences

Shared letters: cdeginrv. Private to "divergence": -. Private to "divergences": s.

"divergence" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCV  ·  "divergences" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • divergenceddivergence · dievrgence · divegrence · diveregnce · divergecne · divergencce · divergenec · divergennce
  • divergencesddivergences · dievrgences · divegrences · diveregnces · divergecnes · divergencces · divergencess · divergencse

Frequency comparison

divergence#19,510
divergences#13,154

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "divergence" and "divergences" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\di.vɛʁ.ʒɑ̃s\), 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, "divergence" or "divergences"?
"divergences" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,154 in our French list, against #19,510 for "divergence". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering divergence vs divergences

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 “divergence” 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