finitionvsfonctionWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,386
“finition” frequency rank
#724
“fonction” frequency rank
14110
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature finition fonction
Definition Action de finir. Activité qui tend à un but déterminé.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
finition
8 ch
fonction

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. finition (\fi.ni.sjɔ̃\) and fonction (\fɔ̃k.sjɔ̃\) 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 14110, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

finition is recorded at frequency rank #13,386, classified as anoun, pronounced \fi.ni.sjɔ̃\. fonction is at rank #724, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fɔ̃k.sjɔ̃\.

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 14110, this pair ranks #398,150 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of finition vs fonction

Shared letters: finot. Private to "finition": -. Private to "fonction": c.

"finition" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "fonction" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • finitionffinition · fiintion · finiiton · finitino · finitionn · finitoin · finittion · finnition
  • fonctionffonction · fnoction · focntion · foncction · fonciton · fonctino · fonctionn · fonctoin

Frequency comparison

finition#13,386
fonction#724

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "finition" and "fonction" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fi.ni.sjɔ̃\ versus \fɔ̃k.sjɔ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "finition" or "fonction"?
"fonction" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #724 in our French list, against #13,386 for "finition". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering finition vs fonction

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 “finition” 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