Which to use
“énigmes” is a noun and “érigés” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,617
- “énigmes” frequency rank
- #37,135
- “érigés” frequency rank
- 57752
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | énigmes | érigés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de énigme. | Participe passé masculin pluriel de ériger. |
Where the eye mixes énigmes and érigés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. énigmes runs 7 letters (VCVCCVC) against érigés's 6 (VCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses énigmes with érigés
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: énigmes is \e.niɡm\ while érigés is \e.ʁi.ʒe\. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57752, 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\. érigés is at rank #37,135, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.ʁi.ʒe\.
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 57752, this pair ranks #113,180 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of énigmes vs érigés
Shared letters: gisé. Private to "énigmes": emn. Private to "érigés": r.
"énigmes" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC · "érigés" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "énigmes" for "érigés" ever safe?
Frequency check: "énigmes" vs "érigés" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "énigmes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "érigés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #113,180 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "énigmes" and "érigés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "érigés vs exigez". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #113,180 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.