Which to use
“énigmes” and “enzymes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,617
- “énigmes” frequency rank
- #24,209
- “enzymes” frequency rank
- 44826
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | énigmes | enzymes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de énigme. | Pluriel de enzyme. |
Where the eye mixes énigmes and enzymes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. énigmes (VCVCCVC) and enzymes (VCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses énigmes with enzymes
A purely visual mix-up. énigmes (\e.niɡm\) and enzymes (\ɑ̃.zim\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44826, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
énigmes is recorded at frequency rank #20,617, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.niɡm\. enzymes is at rank #24,209, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɑ̃.zim\.
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 44826, this pair ranks #207,520 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of énigmes vs enzymes
Shared letters: emns. Private to "énigmes": gié. Private to "enzymes": yz.
"énigmes" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC · "enzymes" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- enzymes ← ennzymes · enyzmes · enzmyes · enzyems · enzymess · enzymmes · enzymse · enzyymes
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "énigmes" and "enzymes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "énigmes" vs "enzymes" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "énigmes" and "enzymes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "énigmes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "enzymes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #207,520 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "énigmes" and "enzymes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "énigmes vs érigées". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #207,520 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.