Which to use
“hirondelle” and “hirondelles” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,060
- “hirondelle” frequency rank
- #35,081
- “hirondelles” frequency rank
- 66141
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hirondelle | hirondelles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Oiseau passereau, migrateur, noir et blanc, qui vit en Europe au cours de l’été. | Pluriel de hirondelle. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hirondelle and hirondelles apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
This is the hard kind. hirondelle and hirondelles are pronounced identically (^((h muet))\i.ʁɔ̃.dɛl\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “hirondelle” sits inside “hirondelles”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66141, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hirondelle is recorded at frequency rank #31,060, classified as anoun, pronounced ^((h muet))\i.ʁɔ̃.dɛl\. hirondelles is at rank #35,081, tagged as anoun, pronounced ^((h muet))\i.ʁɔ̃.dɛl\.
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 66141, this pair ranks #69,105 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hirondelle vs hirondelles
Shared letters: dehilnor. Private to "hirondelle": -. Private to "hirondelles": s.
"hirondelle" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCV · "hirondelles" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- hirondelle ← hhirondelle · hiorndelle · hirnodelle · hirodnelle · hironddelle · hirondele · hirondelel · hirondlele
- hirondelles ← hhirondelles · hiorndelles · hirnodelles · hirodnelles · hironddelles · hirondelels · hirondeles · hirondelless
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hirondelle" and "hirondelles" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hirondelle" or "hirondelles"?
Remembering hirondelle vs hirondelles
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 “hirondelle” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable