limitevslimitentWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: limite is a noun, limitent is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“limite” is a noun and “limitent” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,167
“limite” frequency rank
#16,668
“limitent” frequency rank
17835
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature limite limitent
Definition Restriction ; point réel fini au-delà duquel on ne doit pas aller. Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de limiter.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
limite
8 ch
limitent

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Say them out loud and nothing separates them: limite and limitent carry the same recorded pronunciation, \li.mit\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “limite” sits inside “limitent”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17835, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

limite is recorded at frequency rank #1,167, classified as anoun, pronounced \li.mit\. limitent is at rank #16,668, tagged as averb, pronounced \li.mit\.

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 17835, this pair ranks #381,247 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of limite vs limitent

Shared letters: eilmt. Private to "limite": -. Private to "limitent": n.

"limite" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "limitent" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • limiteilmite · liimte · limiet · limitte · limmite · limtie · llimite · lmiite
  • limitentilmitent · liimtent · limietnt · limitennt · limitentt · limitetn · limitnet · limittent

Frequency comparison

limite#1,167
limitent#16,668

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "limite" and "limitent" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "limite" is a noun and "limitent" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "limite" or "limitent"?
"limite" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,167 in our French list, against #16,668 for "limitent". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering limite vs limitent

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “limite”; for a verb, it's “limitent”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “limite” 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