Which to use
“fâchent” is a verb and “fâcheux” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,284
- “fâchent” frequency rank
- #28,568
- “fâcheux” frequency rank
- 68852
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fâchent | fâcheux |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de fâcher. | Qui donne du déplaisir ou de la peine. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fâchent and fâcheux apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: fâchent is \fɑʃ\ while fâcheux is \fɑ.ʃø\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68852, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fâchent is recorded at frequency rank #40,284, classified as averb, pronounced \fɑʃ\. fâcheux is at rank #28,568, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fɑ.ʃø\.
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 68852, this pair ranks #57,422 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fâchent vs fâcheux
Shared letters: cefhâ. Private to "fâchent": nt. Private to "fâcheux": ux.
"fâchent" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "fâcheux" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fâchent" and "fâcheux" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fâchent" or "fâcheux"?
Remembering fâchent vs fâcheux
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “fâchent”; for an adjective, it's “fâcheux”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fâchent” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable