Which to use
“médecin” is an adjective and “médecins” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,120
- “médecin” frequency rank
- #2,136
- “médecins” frequency rank
- 3256
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | médecin | médecins |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De médecin, des médecins. | Pluriel de médecin. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set médecin and médecins apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: médecin and médecins carry the same recorded pronunciation, \med.sɛ̃\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “médecin” sits inside “médecins”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3256, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
médecin is recorded at frequency rank #1,120, classified as anadj, pronounced \med.sɛ̃\. médecins is at rank #2,136, tagged as anoun, pronounced \med.sɛ̃\.
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 3256, this pair ranks #434,446 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of médecin vs médecins
Shared letters: cdeimné. Private to "médecin": -. Private to "médecins": s.
"médecin" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "médecins" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "médecin" and "médecins" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "médecin" or "médecins"?
Remembering médecin vs médecins
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “médecin”; for a noun, it's “médecins”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “médecin” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable