Which to use
“exigence” and “existence” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,849
- “exigence” frequency rank
- #1,564
- “existence” frequency rank
- 10413
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | exigence | existence |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ce que l’on attend, ce que l’on exige de quelqu’un. | Fait d’être, état de ce qui existe ; par exemple le fait d’être d’une manière absolue, ou pour la perception, ou encore pour la conscience. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set exigence and existence apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. exigence (\ɛɡ.zi.ʒɑ̃s\) and existence (\ɛɡ.zis.tɑ̃s\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10413, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
exigence is recorded at frequency rank #8,849, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɛɡ.zi.ʒɑ̃s\. existence is at rank #1,564, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɛɡ.zis.tɑ̃s\.
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 10413, this pair ranks #413,093 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of exigence vs existence
Shared letters: ceinx. Private to "exigence": g. Private to "existence": st.
"exigence" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCCV · "existence" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "exigence" and "existence" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "exigence" or "existence"?
Remembering exigence vs existence
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 “exigence” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable