Which to use
“exterminés” is a verb and “externes” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,934
- “exterminés” frequency rank
- #8,109
- “externes” frequency rank
- 52043
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | exterminés | externes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participe passé masculin pluriel de exterminer. | Pluriel de externe. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set exterminés and externes apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: exterminés is \ɛk.stɛʁ.mi.ne\ while externes is \ɛk.stɛʁn\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52043, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
exterminés is recorded at frequency rank #43,934, classified as averb, pronounced \ɛk.stɛʁ.mi.ne\. externes is at rank #8,109, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ɛk.stɛʁn\.
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 52043, this pair ranks #150,589 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of exterminés vs externes
Shared letters: enrstx. Private to "exterminés": imé. Private to "externes": -.
"exterminés" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVC · "externes" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- externes ← etxernes · exetrnes · extenres · exterens · externess · externnes · externse · exterrnes
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "exterminés" and "externes" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "exterminés" or "externes"?
Remembering exterminés vs externes
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “exterminés”; for an adjective, it's “externes”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “exterminés” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable