gendrevsgèneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,178
“gendre” frequency rank
#9,016
“gène” frequency rank
22194
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gendre gène
Definition Le mari de la fille ou du fils de quelqu’un. Unité de base de l’information biologique qui se transmet de génération en génération.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gendre and gène apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
gendre
4 ch
gène

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

gendre and gène form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22194, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gendre is recorded at frequency rank #13,178, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʒɑ̃dʁ\. gène is at rank #9,016, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʒɛn\.

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 22194, this pair ranks #359,358 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

gendre#13,178
gène#9,016

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gendre" and "gène" be used interchangeably?
No, "gendre" and "gène" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering gendre vs gène

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 “gendre” 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