féroce vs féroces, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#13,176
“féroce” frequency rank: #26,019
“féroces” frequency rank: 39195
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	féroce	féroces
Definition	Qui est cruel par instinct, en parlant des bêtes.	Pluriel de féroce.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch

féroce

7 ch

féroces

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. féroce and féroces are pronounced identically (\fe.ʁɔs\) and both work as anadjective. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “féroce” sits inside “féroces”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39195, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

féroce is recorded at frequency rank #13,176, classified as anadj, pronounced \fe.ʁɔs\. féroces is at rank #26,019, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fe.ʁɔs\.

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 39195, this pair ranks #249,775 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of féroce vs féroces

Shared letters: ceforé. Private to "féroce": -. Private to "féroces": s.

"féroce" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "féroces" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

féroce#13,176

féroces#26,019

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "féroce" and "féroces" be used interchangeably?

No. They are pronounced the same (\fe.ʁɔs\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.

Which is more common, "féroce" or "féroces"?

"féroce" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,176 in our French list, against #26,019 for "féroces". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering féroce vs féroces

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