Which to use
“explosions” and “expulsions” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,472
- “explosions” frequency rank
- #24,586
- “expulsions” frequency rank
- 39058
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | explosions | expulsions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de explosion. | Pluriel de expulsion. |
Where the eye mixes explosions and expulsions
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. explosions (VCCCVCVVCC) and expulsions (VCCVCCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses explosions with expulsions
A purely visual mix-up. explosions (\ɛk.splo.zjɔ̃\) and expulsions (\ɛk.spyl.sjɔ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39058, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
explosions is recorded at frequency rank #14,472, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɛk.splo.zjɔ̃\. expulsions is at rank #24,586, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɛk.spyl.sjɔ̃\.
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 39058, this pair ranks #250,815 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of explosions vs expulsions
Shared letters: eilnopsx. Private to "explosions": -. Private to "expulsions": u.
"explosions" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCVVCC · "expulsions" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- explosions ← epxlosions · exlposions · expllosions · exploisons · explosinos · explosionns · explosionss · explosiosn
- expulsions ← epxulsions · explusions · exppulsions · expulisons · expullsions · expulsinos · expulsionns · expulsionss
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "explosions" for "expulsions" ever safe?
Frequency check: "explosions" vs "expulsions" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "explosions" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "expulsions" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #250,815 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "explosions" and "expulsions" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "exclusions vs explosions". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #250,815 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.