fichentvsfilentWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,493
“fichent” frequency rank
#31,030
“filent” frequency rank
62523
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fichent filent
Definition Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de ficher. Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de filer.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
fichent
6 ch
filent

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fichent (\fiʃ\) and filent (\fil\) 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 62523, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fichent is recorded at frequency rank #31,493, classified as averb, pronounced \fiʃ\. filent is at rank #31,030, tagged as averb, pronounced \fil\.

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 62523, this pair ranks #86,638 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fichent vs filent

Shared letters: efint. Private to "fichent": ch. Private to "filent": l.

"fichent" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "filent" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fichentfcihent · ffichent · ficchent · ficehnt · fichennt · fichentt · fichetn · fichhent
  • filentffilent · fielnt · filennt · filentt · filetn · fillent · filnet · flient

Frequency comparison

fichent#31,493
filent#31,030

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fichent" and "filent" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fiʃ\ versus \fil\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fichent" or "filent"?
"filent" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,030 in our French list, against #31,493 for "fichent". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fichent vs filent

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 “fichent” 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