Which to use
“malheureuse” is a noun and “malheureuses” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,612
- “malheureuse” frequency rank
- #34,608
- “malheureuses” frequency rank
- 46220
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | malheureuse | malheureuses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Celle qui subit un malheur ; personne éprouvée, affaiblie. | Féminin pluriel de malheureux. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set malheureuse and malheureuses apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: malheureuse and malheureuses carry the same recorded pronunciation, \ma.lœ.ʁøz\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “malheureuse” sits inside “malheureuses”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46220, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
malheureuse is recorded at frequency rank #11,612, classified as anoun, pronounced \ma.lœ.ʁøz\. malheureuses is at rank #34,608, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ma.lœ.ʁøz\.
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 46220, this pair ranks #196,656 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of malheureuse vs malheureuses
Shared letters: aehlmrsu. Private to "malheureuse": -. Private to "malheureuses": -.
"malheureuse" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVCVVCV · "malheureuses" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- malheureuse ← amlheureuse · mahleureuse · malehureuse · malherueuse · malheueruse · malheuresue · malheureues · malheureusse
- malheureuses ← amlheureuses · mahleureuses · malehureuses · malherueuses · malheueruses · malheuresues · malheureuess · malheureusess
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "malheureuse" and "malheureuses" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "malheureuse" or "malheureuses"?
Remembering malheureuse vs malheureuses
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “malheureuse”; for an adjective, it's “malheureuses”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “malheureuse” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable