Which to use
“fonctionne” is a verb and “fonctionnels” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,225
- “fonctionne” frequency rank
- #20,145
- “fonctionnels” frequency rank
- 22370
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fonctionne | fonctionnels |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif du verbe fonctionner. | Masculin pluriel de fonctionnel. |
Where the eye mixes fonctionne and fonctionnels
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. fonctionne runs 10 letters (CVCCCVVCCV) against fonctionnels's 12 (CVCCCVVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: fonctionne vs fonctionnels
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fonctionne is \fɔ̃k.sjɔn\ while fonctionnels is \fɔ̃k.sjɔ.nɛl\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “fonctionne” sits inside “fonctionnels”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22370, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fonctionne is recorded at frequency rank #2,225, classified as averb, pronounced \fɔ̃k.sjɔn\. fonctionnels is at rank #20,145, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fɔ̃k.sjɔ.nɛl\.
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 22370, this pair ranks #358,363 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fonctionne vs fonctionnels
Shared letters: cefinot. Private to "fonctionne": -. Private to "fonctionnels": ls.
"fonctionne" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVVCCV · "fonctionnels" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- fonctionne ← ffonctionne · fnoctionne · focntionne · foncctionne · foncitonne · fonctinone · fonctione · fonctionen
- fonctionnels ← ffonctionnels · fnoctionnels · focntionnels · foncctionnels · foncitonnels · fonctinonels · fonctionels · fonctionenls
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fonctionne" and "fonctionnels" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "fonctionne" vs "fonctionnels" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fonctionne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fonctionnels" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #358,363 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fonctionne" and "fonctionnels" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fonctionnelles vs fonctionnels". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #358,363 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.