Which to use
“incompétente” and “incompétents” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,836
- “incompétente” frequency rank
- #27,482
- “incompétents” frequency rank
- 69318
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | incompétente | incompétents |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de incompétent. | Masculin pluriel de incompétent. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set incompétente and incompétents apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. incompétente (\ɛ̃.kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃t\) and incompétents (\ɛ̃.kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃\) 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 a single letter - e in “incompétente” becomes s in “incompétents”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69318, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
incompétente is recorded at frequency rank #41,836, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɛ̃.kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃t\. incompétents is at rank #27,482, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ɛ̃.kɔ̃.pe.tɑ̃\.
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 69318, this pair ranks #55,605 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of incompétente vs incompétents
Shared letters: ceimnopté. Private to "incompétente": -. Private to "incompétents": s.
"incompétente" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVCCV · "incompétents" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVCCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "incompétente" and "incompétents" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "incompétente" or "incompétents"?
Remembering incompétente vs incompétents
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 “incompétente” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable