fortesvsfortunésWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,927
“fortes” frequency rank
#23,216
“fortunés” frequency rank
26143
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fortes fortunés
Definition Féminin pluriel de fort. Masculin pluriel de fortuné.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
fortes
8 ch
fortunés

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. fortes (\fɔʁt\) and fortunés (\fɔʁ.ty.ne\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26143, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fortes is recorded at frequency rank #2,927, classified as anadj, pronounced \fɔʁt\. fortunés is at rank #23,216, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fɔʁ.ty.ne\.

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 26143, this pair ranks #336,871 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fortes vs fortunés

Shared letters: forst. Private to "fortes": e. Private to "fortunés": nué.

"fortes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "fortunés" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fortesffortes · forrtes · fortess · fortse · forttes · fotres · frotes · ofrtes

Frequency comparison

fortes#2,927
fortunés#23,216

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fortes" and "fortunés" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\fɔʁt\ versus \fɔʁ.ty.ne\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "fortes" or "fortunés"?
"fortes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,927 in our French list, against #23,216 for "fortunés". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fortes vs fortunés

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 “fortes” 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