étrangevsétrangesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,554
“étrange” frequency rank
#8,183
“étranges” frequency rank
10737
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature étrange étranges
Definition Qui est en dehors de l’ordre, de l’usage commun ; qui est singulier, extraordinaire. Pluriel de étrange.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set étrange and étranges apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
étrange
8 ch
étranges

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. étrange and étranges are pronounced identically (\e.tʁɑ̃ʒ\) and both work as anadjective. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “étrange” sits inside “étranges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

étrange is recorded at frequency rank #2,554, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.tʁɑ̃ʒ\. étranges is at rank #8,183, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.tʁɑ̃ʒ\.

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 10737, this pair ranks #411,833 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of étrange vs étranges

Shared letters: aegnrté. Private to "étrange": -. Private to "étranges": s.

"étrange" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "étranges" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

étrange#2,554
étranges#8,183

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "étrange" and "étranges" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\e.tʁɑ̃ʒ\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.
Which is more common, "étrange" or "étranges"?
"étrange" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,554 in our French list, against #8,183 for "étranges". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering étrange vs étranges

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 “étrange” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list