Which to use
“génie” is a noun and “génique” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,081
- “génie” frequency rank
- #48,569
- “génique” frequency rank
- 50650
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | génie | génique |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Esprit ou démon qui, selon les Romains, présidait à certains lieux, à des villes, etc. | Qui concerne les gènes. |
Where the eye mixes génie and génique
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. génie runs 5 letters (CVCVV) against génique's 7 (CVCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between génie and génique
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: génie is \ʒe.ni\ while génique is \ʒe.nik\. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50650, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
génie is recorded at frequency rank #2,081, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʒe.ni\. génique is at rank #48,569, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʒe.nik\.
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 50650, this pair ranks #161,007 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of génie vs génique
Shared letters: eginé. Private to "génie": -. Private to "génique": qu.
"génie" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "génique" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "génie" and "génique" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "génie" or "génique"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "génie" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "génique" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #161,007 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "génie" and "génique" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "génique vs génomique". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #161,007 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.