Which to use
“hélicoptère” and “hélicoptères” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,448
- “hélicoptère” frequency rank
- #12,980
- “hélicoptères” frequency rank
- 20428
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hélicoptère | hélicoptères |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Aéronef muni d’une ou de plusieurs hélices horizontales et le plus souvent d’une hélice verticale, plus petite, au bout de sa queue, décollant à la verticale et pouvant voler de manière stationnaire ; giravion dont la ou les voilures tournantes assurent la sustentation et la translation pendant toute la durée du vol. | Pluriel de hélicoptère. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hélicoptère and hélicoptères apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
hélicoptère and hélicoptères 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 1 extra letter(s) - “hélicoptère” sits inside “hélicoptères” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20428, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hélicoptère is recorded at frequency rank #7,448, classified as anoun, pronounced ^((h muet))\e.li.kɔp.tɛʁ\. hélicoptères is at rank #12,980, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.li.kɔp.tɛʁ\.
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 20428, this pair ranks #368,319 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hélicoptère" and "hélicoptères" be used interchangeably?
Remembering hélicoptère vs hélicoptères
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 “hélicoptère” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable