encresvsenviesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,521
“encres” frequency rank
#9,652
“envies” frequency rank
44173
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature encres envies
Definition Pluriel de encre. Pluriel de envie.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set encres and envies apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
encres
6 ch
envies

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. encres (\ɑ̃kʁ\) and envies (\ɑ̃.vi\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44173, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

encres is recorded at frequency rank #34,521, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɑ̃kʁ\. envies is at rank #9,652, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɑ̃.vi\.

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 44173, this pair ranks #212,473 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of encres vs envies

Shared letters: ens. Private to "encres": cr. Private to "envies": iv.

"encres" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC  ·  "envies" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • encresecnres · enccres · encers · encress · encrres · encrse · enncres · enrces
  • enviesenives · ennvies · enveis · enviess · envise · envvies · evnies · nevies

Frequency comparison

encres#34,521
envies#9,652

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "encres" and "envies" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ɑ̃kʁ\ versus \ɑ̃.vi\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "encres" or "envies"?
"envies" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,652 in our French list, against #34,521 for "encres". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering encres vs envies

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 “encres” 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