Which to use
“élance” is a verb and “enfance” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,933
- “élance” frequency rank
- #1,951
- “enfance” frequency rank
- 28884
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | élance | enfance |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de élancer. | Première partie de la vie de l’être humain, précédant l’adolescence. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set élance and enfance apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: élance is \e.lɑ̃s\ while enfance is \ɑ̃.fɑ̃s\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28884, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
élance is recorded at frequency rank #26,933, classified as averb, pronounced \e.lɑ̃s\. enfance is at rank #1,951, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɑ̃.fɑ̃s\.
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 28884, this pair ranks #320,038 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of élance vs enfance
Shared letters: acen. Private to "élance": lé. Private to "enfance": f.
"élance" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV · "enfance" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- enfance ← efnance · enafnce · enfacne · enfancce · enfanec · enfannce · enffance · enfnace
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "élance" and "enfance" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "élance" or "enfance"?
Remembering élance vs enfance
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “élance”; for a noun, it's “enfance”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “élance” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable