generalevsgénéraliseWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: generale is a adverb, généralise is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“generale” is an adverb and “généralise” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#26,744
“generale” frequency rank
#24,619
“généralise” frequency rank
51363
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature generale généralise
Definition Généralement, en général. Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe généraliser.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
generale
10 ch
généralise

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: generale is \ɡɛ.nɛ.ˈra.lɛ\ while généralise is \ʒe.ne.ʁa.liz\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51363, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

generale is recorded at frequency rank #26,744, classified as anadv, pronounced \ɡɛ.nɛ.ˈra.lɛ\. généralise is at rank #24,619, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʒe.ne.ʁa.liz\.

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 51363, this pair ranks #155,598 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of generale vs généralise

Shared letters: aeglnr. Private to "generale": -. Private to "généralise": isé.

"generale" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV  ·  "généralise" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • generaleegnerale · geenrale · genearle · generael · generalle · generlae · generrale · gennerale

Frequency comparison

generale#26,744
généralise#24,619

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "generale" and "généralise" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "generale" is an adverb and "généralise" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "generale" or "généralise"?
"généralise" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,619 in our French list, against #26,744 for "generale". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering generale vs généralise

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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