fonctionsvsfractionsTell them apart

Which to use

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

#1,566
“fonctions” frequency rank
#23,871
“fractions” frequency rank
25437
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fonctions fractions
Definition Pluriel de fonction. Pluriel de fraction.

Where the eye mixes fonctions and fractions

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. fonctions (CVCCCVVCC) and fractions (CCVCCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

9 ch
fonctions
9 ch
fractions

Why the eye confuses fonctions with fractions

A purely visual mix-up. fonctions (\fɔ̃k.sjɔ̃\) and fractions (\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 25437, 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\. fractions is at rank #23,871, 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 25437, this pair ranks #340,885 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fonctions vs fractions

Shared letters: cfinost. Private to "fonctions": -. Private to "fractions": ar.

"fonctions" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVCC  ·  "fractions" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fonctionsffonctions · fnoctions · focntions · foncctions · foncitons · fonctinos · fonctionns · fonctionss
  • fractionsfarctions · ffractions · fracctions · fracitons · fractinos · fractionns · fractionss · fractiosn

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "fonctions" and "fractions" mean the same thing in a sentence?
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, "fonctions" or "fractions"?
"fonctions" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,566 in our French list, against #23,871 for "fractions". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "fonctions" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "fractions" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #340,885 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "fonctions" and "fractions" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fractions vs frictions". 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 #340,885 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list