irresponsablevsirresponsablesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,290
“irresponsable” frequency rank
#26,415
“irresponsables” frequency rank
40705
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature irresponsable irresponsables
Definition Qui n’a pas à répondre de ses actes. Pluriel de irresponsable.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set irresponsable and irresponsables apart are highlighted. They share 13 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

13 ch
irresponsable
14 ch
irresponsables

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. irresponsable and irresponsables are pronounced identically (\i.ʁɛs.pɔ̃.sabl\) 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) - “irresponsable” sits inside “irresponsables”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40705, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

irresponsable is recorded at frequency rank #14,290, classified as anadj, pronounced \i.ʁɛs.pɔ̃.sabl\. irresponsables is at rank #26,415, tagged as anadj, pronounced \i.ʁɛs.pɔ̃.sabl\.

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 40705, this pair ranks #238,526 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of irresponsable vs irresponsables

Shared letters: abeilnoprs. Private to "irresponsable": -. Private to "irresponsables": -.

"irresponsable" · 13 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVCCV  ·  "irresponsables" · 14 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • irresponsableirersponsable · iresponsable · irrepsonsable · irresopnsable · irrespnosable · irresponasble · irresponnsable · irresponsabble
  • irresponsablesirersponsables · iresponsables · irrepsonsables · irresopnsables · irrespnosables · irresponasbles · irresponnsables · irresponsabbles

Frequency comparison

irresponsable#14,290
irresponsables#26,415

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "irresponsable" and "irresponsables" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\i.ʁɛs.pɔ̃.sabl\), 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, "irresponsable" or "irresponsables"?
"irresponsable" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,290 in our French list, against #26,415 for "irresponsables". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering irresponsable vs irresponsables

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 “irresponsable” 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