fondamentalevsfondamentauxWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,059
“fondamentale” frequency rank
#6,702
“fondamentaux” frequency rank
13761
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fondamentale fondamentaux
Definition Note de référence d'un accord lui donnant son nom. À ne pas confondre avec la note la plus grave d'un accord : sa basse. Ces deux notions ne concordent que lorsque l'accord est présenté comme empilement de tierces, on dit alors qu'il est à l’état fondamental. Pluriel de fondamental.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fondamentale and fondamentaux apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
fondamentale
12 ch
fondamentaux

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fondamentale (\fɔ̃.da.mɑ̃.tal\) and fondamentaux (\fɔ̃.da.mɑ̃.to\) 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 13761, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fondamentale is recorded at frequency rank #7,059, classified as anoun, pronounced \fɔ̃.da.mɑ̃.tal\. fondamentaux is at rank #6,702, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fɔ̃.da.mɑ̃.to\.

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 13761, this pair ranks #399,655 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fondamentale vs fondamentaux

Shared letters: adefmnot. Private to "fondamentale": l. Private to "fondamentaux": ux.

"fondamentale" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVCV  ·  "fondamentaux" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fondamentaleffondamentale · fnodamentale · fodnamentale · fonadmentale · fondaemntale · fondamenatle · fondamenntale · fondamentael
  • fondamentauxffondamentaux · fnodamentaux · fodnamentaux · fonadmentaux · fondaemntaux · fondamenatux · fondamenntaux · fondamentauxx

Frequency comparison

fondamentale#7,059
fondamentaux#6,702

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fondamentale" and "fondamentaux" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fɔ̃.da.mɑ̃.tal\ versus \fɔ̃.da.mɑ̃.to\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fondamentale" or "fondamentaux"?
"fondamentaux" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,702 in our French list, against #7,059 for "fondamentale". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fondamentale vs fondamentaux

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 “fondamentale” 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