fonctionvsfractionWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#724
“fonction” frequency rank
#9,840
“fraction” frequency rank
10564
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fonction fraction
Definition Activité qui tend à un but déterminé. Portion ou partie d'un tout.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
fonction
8 ch
fraction

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fonction (\fɔ̃k.sjɔ̃\) and fraction (\fʁak.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 10564, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fonction is recorded at frequency rank #724, classified as anoun, pronounced \fɔ̃k.sjɔ̃\. fraction is at rank #9,840, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fʁak.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 10564, this pair ranks #412,499 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fonction vs fraction

Shared letters: cfinot. Private to "fonction": -. Private to "fraction": ar.

"fonction" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC  ·  "fraction" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fonctionffonction · fnoction · focntion · foncction · fonciton · fonctino · fonctionn · fonctoin
  • fractionfarction · ffraction · fracction · fraciton · fractino · fractionn · fractoin · fracttion

Frequency comparison

fonction#724
fraction#9,840

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fonction" and "fraction" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fɔ̃k.sjɔ̃\ versus \fʁak.sjɔ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fonction" or "fraction"?
"fonction" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #724 in our French list, against #9,840 for "fraction". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fonction vs fraction

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 “fonction” 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