langagesvslanguesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,423
“langages” frequency rank
#1,999
“langues” frequency rank
17422
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature langages langues
Definition Pluriel de langage. Pluriel de langue.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set langages and langues apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
langages
7 ch
langues

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. langages (\lɑ̃.ɡaʒ\) and langues (\lɑ̃ɡ\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17422, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

langages is recorded at frequency rank #15,423, classified as anoun, pronounced \lɑ̃.ɡaʒ\. langues is at rank #1,999, tagged as anoun, pronounced \lɑ̃ɡ\.

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 17422, this pair ranks #383,244 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of langages vs langues

Shared letters: aeglns. Private to "langages": -. Private to "langues": u.

"langages" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "langues" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • langagesalngages · lagnages · lanagges · langaegs · langagess · langagges · langagse · langgaes
  • languesalngues · lagnues · langeus · langgues · languess · languse · lanngues · lanuges

Frequency comparison

langages#15,423
langues#1,999

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "langages" and "langues" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\lɑ̃.ɡaʒ\ versus \lɑ̃ɡ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "langages" or "langues"?
"langues" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,999 in our French list, against #15,423 for "langages". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering langages vs langues

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 “langages” 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