fédéralvsfédérauxWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,617
“fédéral” frequency rank
#9,843
“fédéraux” frequency rank
12460
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fédéral fédéraux
Definition Qui a rapport à une fédération d’États ou à une fédération de plusieurs sociétés visant un but commun. Masculin pluriel de fédéral.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fédéral and fédéraux apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
fédéral
8 ch
fédéraux

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fédéral (\fe.de.ʁal\) and fédéraux (\fe.de.ʁo\) 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 12460, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fédéral is recorded at frequency rank #2,617, classified as anadj, pronounced \fe.de.ʁal\. fédéraux is at rank #9,843, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fe.de.ʁo\.

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 12460, this pair ranks #405,180 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fédéral vs fédéraux

Shared letters: adfré. Private to "fédéral": l. Private to "fédéraux": ux.

"fédéral" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "fédéraux" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

fédéral#2,617
fédéraux#9,843

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fédéral" and "fédéraux" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fe.de.ʁal\ versus \fe.de.ʁo\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fédéral" or "fédéraux"?
"fédéral" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,617 in our French list, against #9,843 for "fédéraux". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fédéral vs fédéraux

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 “fédéral” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list