Which to use
“fendre” is a verb and “fendu” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,490
- “fendre” frequency rank
- #27,435
- “fendu” frequency rank
- 58925
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fendre | fendu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Diviser, séparer, couper en long ou en large, ou de toute autre manière. | Qui présente une fente, une fêlure. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fendre and fendu apart are highlighted. They share 4 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: fendre is \fɑ̃dʁ\ while fendu is \fɑ̃.dy\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 58925, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fendre is recorded at frequency rank #31,490, classified as averb, pronounced \fɑ̃dʁ\. fendu is at rank #27,435, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fɑ̃.dy\.
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 58925, this pair ranks #106,113 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fendre vs fendu
Shared letters: defn. Private to "fendre": r. Private to "fendu": u.
"fendre" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "fendu" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fendre" and "fendu" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fendre" or "fendu"?
Remembering fendre vs fendu
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “fendre”; for an adjective, it's “fendu”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fendre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable