kilomètrevskilomètresWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,186
“kilomètre” frequency rank
#1,821
“kilomètres” frequency rank
11007
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kilomètre kilomètres
Definition Unité de mesure de longueur du Système international (SI), valant 10³ mètres, et dont le symbole est km. Pluriel de kilomètre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kilomètre and kilomètres apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
kilomètre
10 ch
kilomètres

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. kilomètre and kilomètres are pronounced identically (\ki.lɔ.mɛtʁ\) and both work as anoun. 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) - “kilomètre” sits inside “kilomètres”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11007, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kilomètre is recorded at frequency rank #9,186, classified as anoun, pronounced \ki.lɔ.mɛtʁ\. kilomètres is at rank #1,821, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ki.lɔ.mɛtʁ\.

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 11007, this pair ranks #410,821 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kilomètre vs kilomètres

Shared letters: eiklmortè. Private to "kilomètre": -. Private to "kilomètres": s.

"kilomètre" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV  ·  "kilomètres" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

kilomètre#9,186
kilomètres#1,821

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kilomètre" and "kilomètres" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\ki.lɔ.mɛtʁ\), 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, "kilomètre" or "kilomètres"?
"kilomètres" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,821 in our French list, against #9,186 for "kilomètre". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kilomètre vs kilomètres

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 “kilomètre” 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