hystérique vs hystériques, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#17,155
“hystérique” frequency rank: #29,386
“hystériques” frequency rank: 46541
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	hystérique	hystériques
Definition	Qui a rapport à l’hystérie.	Pluriel de hystérique.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hystérique and hystériques apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch

hystérique

11 ch

hystériques

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. hystérique and hystériques are pronounced identically (\is.te.ʁik\) and both work as anadjective. 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) - “hystérique” sits inside “hystériques”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46541, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hystérique is recorded at frequency rank #17,155, classified as anadj, pronounced \is.te.ʁik\. hystériques is at rank #29,386, tagged as anadj, pronounced \is.te.ʁik\.

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 46541, this pair ranks #194,096 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hystérique vs hystériques

Shared letters: ehiqrstuyé. Private to "hystérique": -. Private to "hystériques": -.

"hystérique" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVV · "hystériques" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

hystérique#17,155

hystériques#29,386

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hystérique" and "hystériques" be used interchangeably?

No. They are pronounced the same (\is.te.ʁik\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.

Which is more common, "hystérique" or "hystériques"?

"hystérique" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,155 in our French list, against #29,386 for "hystériques". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hystérique vs hystériques

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 “hystérique” entry
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