Which to use
“instances” and “instincts” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,196
- “instances” frequency rank
- #21,358
- “instincts” frequency rank
- 28554
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | instances | instincts |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de instance. | Pluriel de instinct. |
Where the eye mixes instances and instincts
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. instances (VCCCVCCVC) and instincts (VCCCVCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between instances and instincts
A purely visual mix-up. instances (\ɛ̃s.tɑ̃s\) and instincts (\ɛ̃s.tɛ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28554, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
instances is recorded at frequency rank #7,196, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɛ̃s.tɑ̃s\. instincts is at rank #21,358, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɛ̃s.tɛ̃\.
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 28554, this pair ranks #322,066 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of instances vs instincts
Shared letters: cinst. Private to "instances": ae. Private to "instincts": -.
"instances" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "instincts" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "instances" and "instincts" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "instances" or "instincts" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "instances" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "instincts" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #322,066 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "instances" and "instincts" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "instinctif vs instincts". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #322,066 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.