matérielvsmatériellesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,743
“matériel” frequency rank
#14,732
“matérielles” frequency rank
16475
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature matériel matérielles
Definition Qui est formé de matière. Féminin pluriel de matériel.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set matériel and matérielles apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
matériel
11 ch
matérielles

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. matériel and matérielles are pronounced identically (\ma.te.ʁjɛl\) and both work as anadjective. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 3 extra letter(s) - “matériel” sits inside “matérielles”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16475, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

matériel is recorded at frequency rank #1,743, classified as anadj, pronounced \ma.te.ʁjɛl\. matérielles is at rank #14,732, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ma.te.ʁjɛl\.

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 16475, this pair ranks #387,669 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of matériel vs matérielles

Shared letters: aeilmrté. Private to "matériel": -. Private to "matérielles": s.

"matériel" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "matérielles" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCVVCCVC

Frequency comparison

matériel#1,743
matérielles#14,732

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "matériel" and "matérielles" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\ma.te.ʁjɛl\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.
Which is more common, "matériel" or "matérielles"?
"matériel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,743 in our French list, against #14,732 for "matérielles". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering matériel vs matérielles

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 “matériel” 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