Which to use
“fédérale” is a noun and “fédérales” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,849
- “fédérale” frequency rank
- #11,777
- “fédérales” frequency rank
- 15626
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fédérale | fédérales |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Route fédérale (aux États-Unis). | Féminin pluriel de fédéral. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fédérale and fédérales apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: fédérale and fédérales carry the same recorded pronunciation, \fe.de.ʁal\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “fédérale” sits inside “fédérales”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15626, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fédérale is recorded at frequency rank #3,849, classified as anoun, pronounced \fe.de.ʁal\. fédérales is at rank #11,777, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fe.de.ʁal\.
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 15626, this pair ranks #391,553 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fédérale vs fédérales
Shared letters: adeflré. Private to "fédérale": -. Private to "fédérales": s.
"fédérale" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV · "fédérales" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fédérale" and "fédérales" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fédérale" or "fédérales"?
Remembering fédérale vs fédérales
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “fédérale”; for an adjective, it's “fédérales”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fédérale” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable