Which to use
“el” is a pronoun and “ext” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,437
- “el” frequency rank
- #36,838
- “ext” frequency rank
- 38275
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | el | ext |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pronom de la troisième personne du singulier neutre. Désigne une personne dont le genre est variable (genderqueer), inconnu ou androgyne. Il est utilisé dans le cadre d’un langage non-sexiste. | Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’impératif présent de exen. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set el and ext apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
el and ext form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38275, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
el is recorded at frequency rank #1,437, classified as apron, pronounced \ɛl\. ext is at rank #36,838, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɛkst\.
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 38275, this pair ranks #256,422 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "el" and "ext" be used interchangeably?
Remembering el vs ext
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “el”; for a verb, it's “ext”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “el” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable