fèvesvsfièvresWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,017
“fèves” frequency rank
#37,336
“fièvres” frequency rank
63353
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fèves fièvres
Definition Pluriel de fève. Pluriel de fièvre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fèves and fièvres apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
fèves
7 ch
fièvres

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fèves (\fɛv\) and fièvres (\fjɛvʁ\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63353, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fèves is recorded at frequency rank #26,017, classified as anoun, pronounced \fɛv\. fièvres is at rank #37,336, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fjɛvʁ\.

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 63353, this pair ranks #82,379 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fèves vs fièvres

Shared letters: efsvè. Private to "fèves": -. Private to "fièvres": ir.

"fèves" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "fièvres" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Frequency comparison

fèves#26,017
fièvres#37,336

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fèves" and "fièvres" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fɛv\ versus \fjɛvʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fèves" or "fièvres"?
"fèves" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,017 in our French list, against #37,336 for "fièvres". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fèves vs fièvres

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 “fèves” 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