fléchivsfléchirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#47,345
“fléchi” frequency rank
#38,812
“fléchir” frequency rank
86157
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fléchi fléchir
Definition Participe passé masculin singulier du verbe fléchir. Faire ployer, courber.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
fléchi
7 ch
fléchir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fléchi (\fle.ʃi\) and fléchir (\fle.ʃiʁ\) 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 extra letter(s) - “fléchi” sits inside “fléchir”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86157, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fléchi is recorded at frequency rank #47,345, classified as averb, pronounced \fle.ʃi\. fléchir is at rank #38,812, tagged as averb, pronounced \fle.ʃiʁ\.

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 86157, this pair ranks #10,152 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fléchi vs fléchir

Shared letters: cfhilé. Private to "fléchi": -. Private to "fléchir": r.

"fléchi" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "fléchir" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

fléchi#47,345
fléchir#38,812

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fléchi" and "fléchir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fle.ʃi\ versus \fle.ʃiʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fléchi" or "fléchir"?
"fléchir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,812 in our French list, against #47,345 for "fléchi". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fléchi vs fléchir

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 “fléchi” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list