légumevslégumesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,474
“légume” frequency rank
#4,082
“légumes” frequency rank
21556
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature légume légumes
Definition Toute sorte d’herbes potagères, de plantes, de racines, de graines comestibles. Organisme végétal considéré en tant qu’aliment et utilisé principalement dans des plats salés (par opposition aux fruits) et en quantité substantielle (par opposition aux épices et aux herbes) ; on y inclus parfois les champignons comestibles. Pluriel de légume.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
légume
7 ch
légumes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

légume and légumes form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “légume” sits inside “légumes” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21556, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

légume is recorded at frequency rank #17,474, classified as anoun, pronounced \le.ɡym\. légumes is at rank #4,082, tagged as anoun, pronounced \le.ɡym\.

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 21556, this pair ranks #362,558 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

légume#17,474
légumes#4,082

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "légume" and "légumes" be used interchangeably?
No, "légume" and "légumes" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering légume vs légumes

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 “légume” 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