formelvsformezWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: formel is a adjective, formez is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“formel” is an adjective and “formez” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#14,042
“formel” frequency rank
#30,614
“formez” frequency rank
44656
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature formel formez
Definition Qui existe de façon déterminée. Deuxième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de former.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set formel and formez apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
formel
6 ch
formez

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: formel is \fɔʁ.mɛl\ while formez is \fɔʁ.me\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - l in “formel” becomes z in “formez”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44656, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

formel is recorded at frequency rank #14,042, classified as anadj, pronounced \fɔʁ.mɛl\. formez is at rank #30,614, tagged as averb, pronounced \fɔʁ.me\.

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 44656, this pair ranks #208,804 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of formel vs formez

Shared letters: efmor. Private to "formel": l. Private to "formez": z.

"formel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "formez" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • formelfformel · fomrel · foreml · formell · formle · formmel · forrmel · fromel
  • formezfformez · fomrez · foremz · formezz · formmez · formze · forrmez · fromez

Frequency comparison

formel#14,042
formez#30,614

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "formel" and "formez" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "formel" is an adjective and "formez" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "formel" or "formez"?
"formel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,042 in our French list, against #30,614 for "formez". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering formel vs formez

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “formel”; for a verb, it's “formez”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “formel” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list