extérieures vs extérieurs, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#7,692
“extérieures” frequency rank: #6,824
“extérieurs” frequency rank: 14516
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	extérieures	extérieurs
Definition	Féminin pluriel de extérieur.	Masculin pluriel de extérieur.

Where the spellings diverge

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

11 ch

extérieures

10 ch

extérieurs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. extérieures and extérieurs are pronounced identically (\ɛk.stɛ.ʁjœʁ\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14516, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

extérieures is recorded at frequency rank #7,692, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɛk.stɛ.ʁjœʁ\. extérieurs is at rank #6,824, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ɛk.stɛ.ʁjœʁ\.

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 14516, this pair ranks #396,331 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of extérieures vs extérieurs

Shared letters: eirstuxé. Private to "extérieures": -. Private to "extérieurs": -.

"extérieures" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCVVVCVC · "extérieurs" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVVVCC

Frequency comparison

extérieures#7,692

extérieurs#6,824

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "extérieures" and "extérieurs" be used interchangeably?

No. They are pronounced the same (\ɛk.stɛ.ʁjœʁ\), 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, "extérieures" or "extérieurs"?

"extérieurs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,824 in our French list, against #7,692 for "extérieures". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering extérieures vs extérieurs

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 “extérieures” entry
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