hypothèsevshypothèsesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“hypothèse” and “hypothèses” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,202
“hypothèse” frequency rank
#7,710
“hypothèses” frequency rank
10912
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hypothèse hypothèses
Definition Supposition que l’on fait sans se demander si elle est vraie ou fausse, mais seulement pour en tirer des conséquences à vérifier. Pluriel de hypothèse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hypothèse and hypothèses apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
hypothèse
10 ch
hypothèses

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hypothèse (\i.pɔ.tɛz\) and hypothèses (^((h muet))\i.pɔ.tɛz\) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “hypothèse” sits inside “hypothèses”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10912, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hypothèse is recorded at frequency rank #3,202, classified as anoun, pronounced \i.pɔ.tɛz\. hypothèses is at rank #7,710, tagged as anoun, pronounced ^((h muet))\i.pɔ.tɛz\.

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 10912, this pair ranks #411,183 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hypothèse vs hypothèses

Shared letters: ehopstyè. Private to "hypothèse": -. Private to "hypothèses": -.

"hypothèse" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV  ·  "hypothèses" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

hypothèse#3,202
hypothèses#7,710

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hypothèse" and "hypothèses" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\i.pɔ.tɛz\ versus ^((h muet))\i.pɔ.tɛz\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hypothèse" or "hypothèses"?
"hypothèse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,202 in our French list, against #7,710 for "hypothèses". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hypothèse vs hypothèses

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 “hypothèse” 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