figuesvsfigurezWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: figues is a noun, figurez is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“figues” is a noun and “figurez” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#28,559
“figues” frequency rank
#31,961
“figurez” frequency rank
60520
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature figues figurez
Definition Pluriel de figue. Deuxième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de figurer.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
figues
7 ch
figurez

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: figues is \fiɡ\ while figurez is \fi.ɡy.ʁe\. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

figues is recorded at frequency rank #28,559, classified as anoun, pronounced \fiɡ\. figurez is at rank #31,961, tagged as averb, pronounced \fi.ɡy.ʁe\.

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 60520, this pair ranks #97,182 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of figues vs figurez

Shared letters: efgiu. Private to "figues": s. Private to "figurez": rz.

"figues" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "figurez" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • figuesffigues · fgiues · figeus · figgues · figuess · figuse · fiuges · ifgues
  • figurezffigurez · fgiurez · figgurez · figruez · figuerz · figurezz · figurrez · figurze

Frequency comparison

figues#28,559
figurez#31,961

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "figues" and "figurez" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "figues" is a noun and "figurez" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "figues" or "figurez"?
"figues" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,559 in our French list, against #31,961 for "figurez". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering figues vs figurez

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “figues”; for a verb, it's “figurez”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “figues” 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