Which to use
“gène” and “génies” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,016
- “gène” frequency rank
- #13,806
- “génies” frequency rank
- 22822
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gène | génies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Unité de base de l’information biologique qui se transmet de génération en génération. | Pluriel de génie. |
Where the eye mixes gène and génies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. gène runs 4 letters (CVCV) against génies's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between gène and génies
A purely visual mix-up. gène (\ʒɛn\) and génies (\ʒe.ni\) 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 22822, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gène is recorded at frequency rank #9,016, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʒɛn\. génies is at rank #13,806, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʒe.ni\.
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 22822, this pair ranks #355,978 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gène vs génies
Shared letters: egn. Private to "gène": è. Private to "génies": isé.
"gène" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "génies" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gène" and "génies" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "gène" or "génies" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "gène" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "génies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #355,978 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gène" and "génies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "génies vs geôles". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #355,978 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.