kilogrammevskilogrammesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,343
“kilogramme” frequency rank
#30,236
“kilogrammes” frequency rank
70579
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kilogramme kilogrammes
Definition Unité de masse dans le Système international d’unités (SI) qui a pour symbole kg. À l’origine le kilogramme représentait la masse d’un litre d’eau au maximum de sa densité, mais il a été défini comme la masse du prototype international du kilogramme sous la forme d'un cylindre de platine et d’iridium conservé au Bureau international des poids et mesures à Sèvres de 1889 à 2019. Il est désormais défini à partir de la constante de Planck (h) de la physique quantique. Pluriel de kilogramme.

Where the spellings diverge

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

10 ch
kilogramme
11 ch
kilogrammes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kilogramme (\ki.lo.ɡʁam\) and kilogrammes (\ki.lɔ.ɡʁam\) 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) - “kilogramme” sits inside “kilogrammes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70579, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kilogramme is recorded at frequency rank #40,343, classified as anoun, pronounced \ki.lo.ɡʁam\. kilogrammes is at rank #30,236, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ki.lɔ.ɡʁam\.

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 70579, this pair ranks #50,803 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kilogramme vs kilogrammes

Shared letters: aegiklmor. Private to "kilogramme": -. Private to "kilogrammes": s.

"kilogramme" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCV  ·  "kilogrammes" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kilogrammeiklogramme · kilgoramme · killogramme · kilogarmme · kiloggramme · kilograme · kilogramem · kilogrmame
  • kilogrammesiklogrammes · kilgorammes · killogrammes · kilogarmmes · kiloggrammes · kilogramems · kilogrames · kilogrammess

Frequency comparison

kilogramme#40,343
kilogrammes#30,236

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kilogramme" and "kilogrammes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ki.lo.ɡʁam\ versus \ki.lɔ.ɡʁam\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kilogramme" or "kilogrammes"?
"kilogrammes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,236 in our French list, against #40,343 for "kilogramme". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kilogramme vs kilogrammes

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 “kilogramme” 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