fonctionsvsfondationsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,566
“fonctions” frequency rank
#9,317
“fondations” frequency rank
10883
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fonctions fondations
Definition Pluriel de fonction. Pluriel de fondation.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fonctions and fondations apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
fonctions
10 ch
fondations

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fonctions (\fɔ̃k.sjɔ̃\) and fondations (\fɔ̃.da.sjɔ̃\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10883, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fonctions is recorded at frequency rank #1,566, classified as anoun, pronounced \fɔ̃k.sjɔ̃\. fondations is at rank #9,317, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fɔ̃.da.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 10883, this pair ranks #411,298 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fonctions vs fondations

Shared letters: finost. Private to "fonctions": c. Private to "fondations": ad.

"fonctions" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVCC  ·  "fondations" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fonctionsffonctions · fnoctions · focntions · foncctions · foncitons · fonctinos · fonctionns · fonctionss
  • fondationsffondations · fnodations · fodnations · fonadtions · fondaitons · fondatinos · fondationns · fondationss

Frequency comparison

fonctions#1,566
fondations#9,317

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fonctions" and "fondations" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fɔ̃k.sjɔ̃\ versus \fɔ̃.da.sjɔ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fonctions" or "fondations"?
"fonctions" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,566 in our French list, against #9,317 for "fondations". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fonctions vs fondations

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 “fonctions” 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