Which to use
“éternel” is an adjective and “éternelle” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,577
- “éternel” frequency rank
- #8,641
- “éternelle” frequency rank
- 15218
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | éternel | éternelle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui n’a pas eu de commencement et n’aura jamais de fin. | Plante de la famille des composées, généralement appelée immortelle, qui est ainsi nommée parce que ses fleurs ne se fanent jamais, une fois coupées. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set éternel and éternelle apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: éternel and éternelle carry the same recorded pronunciation, \e.tɛʁ.nɛl\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “éternel” sits inside “éternelle”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15218, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
éternel is recorded at frequency rank #6,577, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.tɛʁ.nɛl\. éternelle is at rank #8,641, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.tɛʁ.nɛl\.
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 15218, this pair ranks #393,321 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of éternel vs éternelle
Shared letters: elnrté. Private to "éternel": -. Private to "éternelle": -.
"éternel" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC · "éternelle" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "éternel" and "éternelle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "éternel" or "éternelle"?
Remembering éternel vs éternelle
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “éternel”; for a noun, it's “éternelle”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “éternel” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable