fièvresvsfiguresWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#37,336
“fièvres” frequency rank
#4,940
“figures” frequency rank
42276
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fièvres figures
Definition Pluriel de fièvre. Pluriel de figure.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
fièvres
7 ch
figures

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fièvres (\fjɛvʁ\) and figures (\fi.ɡyʁ\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42276, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fièvres is recorded at frequency rank #37,336, classified as anoun, pronounced \fjɛvʁ\. figures is at rank #4,940, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fi.ɡyʁ\.

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 42276, this pair ranks #226,841 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fièvres vs figures

Shared letters: efirs. Private to "fièvres": . Private to "figures": gu.

"fièvres" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "figures" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • figuresffigures · fgiures · figgures · figrues · figuers · figuress · figurres · figurse

Frequency comparison

fièvres#37,336
figures#4,940

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fièvres" and "figures" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fjɛvʁ\ versus \fi.ɡyʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fièvres" or "figures"?
"figures" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,940 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 fièvres vs figures

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 “fièvres” 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