méconnues vs méconnus, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“méconnues” is a noun and “méconnus” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#40,387
“méconnues” frequency rank: #31,146
“méconnus” frequency rank: 71533
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	méconnues	méconnus
Definition	Pluriel de méconnue.	Masculin pluriel de méconnu.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch

méconnues

8 ch

méconnus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Say them out loud and nothing separates them: méconnues and méconnus carry the same recorded pronunciation, \me.kɔ.ny\. 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71533, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

méconnues is recorded at frequency rank #40,387, classified as anoun, pronounced \me.kɔ.ny\. méconnus is at rank #31,146, tagged as anadj, pronounced \me.kɔ.ny\.

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 71533, this pair ranks #47,225 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of méconnues vs méconnus

Shared letters: cmnosué. Private to "méconnues": e. Private to "méconnus": -.

"méconnues" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "méconnus" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

méconnues#40,387

méconnus#31,146

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "méconnues" and "méconnus" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "méconnues" is a noun and "méconnus" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "méconnues" or "méconnus"?

"méconnus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,146 in our French list, against #40,387 for "méconnues". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering méconnues vs méconnus

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “méconnues”; for an adjective, it's “méconnus”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “méconnues” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable