languesvslingesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,999
“langues” frequency rank
#48,013
“linges” frequency rank
50012
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature langues linges
Definition Pluriel de langue. Pluriel de linge.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set langues and linges apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
langues
6 ch
linges

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. langues (\lɑ̃ɡ\) and linges (\lɛ̃ʒ\) 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 50012, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

langues is recorded at frequency rank #1,999, classified as anoun, pronounced \lɑ̃ɡ\. linges is at rank #48,013, tagged as anoun, pronounced \lɛ̃ʒ\.

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 50012, this pair ranks #165,988 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of langues vs linges

Shared letters: eglns. Private to "langues": au. Private to "linges": i.

"langues" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "linges" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • languesalngues · lagnues · langeus · langgues · languess · languse · lanngues · lanuges
  • lingesilnges · linegs · lingess · lingges · lingse · linnges · llinges · lniges

Frequency comparison

langues#1,999
linges#48,013

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "langues" and "linges" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\lɑ̃ɡ\ versus \lɛ̃ʒ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "langues" or "linges"?
"langues" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,999 in our French list, against #48,013 for "linges". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering langues vs linges

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 “langues” 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