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 eye mixes fonctions and fondations
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. fonctions runs 9 letters (CVCCCVVCC) against fondations's 10 (CVCCVCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses fonctions with fondations
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
- fonctions ← ffonctions · fnoctions · focntions · foncctions · foncitons · fonctinos · fonctionns · fonctionss
- fondations ← ffondations · fnodations · fodnations · fonadtions · fondaitons · fondatinos · fondationns · fondationss
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fonctions" for "fondations" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fonctions" vs "fondations" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fonctions" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fondations" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #411,298 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fonctions" and "fondations" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fonctions vs function". 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 #411,298 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.