forfaitsvsformaitWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: forfaits is a noun, formait is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“forfaits” is a noun and “formait” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,161
“forfaits” frequency rank
#22,865
“formait” frequency rank
35026
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature forfaits formait
Definition Pluriel de forfait. Troisième personne du singulier de l’imparfait de l’indicatif de former.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set forfaits and formait apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
forfaits
7 ch
formait

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: forfaits is \fɔʁ.fɛ\ while formait is \fɔʁ.mɛ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35026, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

forfaits is recorded at frequency rank #12,161, classified as anoun, pronounced \fɔʁ.fɛ\. formait is at rank #22,865, tagged as averb, pronounced \fɔʁ.mɛ\.

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 35026, this pair ranks #279,695 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of forfaits vs formait

Shared letters: afiort. Private to "forfaits": s. Private to "formait": m.

"forfaits" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC  ·  "formait" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • forfaitsfforfaits · fofraits · forafits · forfaist · forfaitss · forfaitts · forfatis · forffaits
  • formaitfformait · fomrait · foramit · formaitt · formati · formiat · formmait · forrmait

Frequency comparison

forfaits#12,161
formait#22,865

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "forfaits" and "formait" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "forfaits" is a noun and "formait" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "forfaits" or "formait"?
"forfaits" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,161 in our French list, against #22,865 for "formait". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering forfaits vs formait

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “forfaits”; for a verb, it's “formait”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “forfaits” 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