équivalences vs équivalents, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“équivalences” is a noun and “équivalents” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#46,546
“équivalences” frequency rank: #13,946
“équivalents” frequency rank: 60492
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	équivalences	équivalents
Definition	Pluriel de équivalence.	Masculin pluriel de équivalent.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set équivalences and équivalents apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch

équivalences

11 ch

équivalents

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: équivalences is \e.ki.va.lɑ̃s\ while équivalents is \e.ki.va.lɑ̃\. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60492, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

équivalences is recorded at frequency rank #46,546, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.ki.va.lɑ̃s\. équivalents is at rank #13,946, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.ki.va.lɑ̃\.

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 60492, this pair ranks #97,310 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of équivalences vs équivalents

Shared letters: aeilnqsuvé. Private to "équivalences": c. Private to "équivalents": t.

"équivalences" · 12 letters · shape VCVVCVCVCCVC · "équivalents" · 11 letters · shape VCVVCVCVCCC

Frequency comparison

équivalences#46,546

équivalents#13,946

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "équivalences" and "équivalents" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "équivalences" is a noun and "équivalents" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "équivalences" or "équivalents"?

"équivalents" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,946 in our French list, against #46,546 for "équivalences". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering équivalences vs équivalents

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “équivalences”; for an adjective, it's “équivalents”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “équivalences” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable