divergentvsdivergentsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,914
“divergent” frequency rank
#31,446
“divergents” frequency rank
53360
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature divergent divergents
Definition Qui diverge. Masculin pluriel de divergent.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set divergent and divergents apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
divergent
10 ch
divergents

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. divergent and divergents are pronounced identically (\di.vɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\) and both work as anadjective. 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) - “divergent” sits inside “divergents”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53360, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

divergent is recorded at frequency rank #21,914, classified as anadj, pronounced \di.vɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\. divergents is at rank #31,446, tagged as anadj, pronounced \di.vɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\.

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 53360, this pair ranks #141,246 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of divergent vs divergents

Shared letters: deginrtv. Private to "divergent": -. Private to "divergents": s.

"divergent" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC  ·  "divergents" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • divergentddivergent · dievrgent · divegrent · diveregnt · divergennt · divergentt · divergetn · diverggent
  • divergentsddivergents · dievrgents · divegrents · diveregnts · divergennts · divergenst · divergentss · divergentts

Frequency comparison

divergent#21,914
divergents#31,446

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "divergent" and "divergents" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\di.vɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\), 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, "divergent" or "divergents"?
"divergent" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,914 in our French list, against #31,446 for "divergents". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering divergent vs divergents

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 “divergent” 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