mélangervsmélangesWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#9,202
“mélanger” frequency rank
#11,811
“mélanges” frequency rank
21013
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mélanger mélanges
Definition Unir une chose avec une autre, ou plusieurs choses ensemble, de façon qu’elles forment comme un tout. Pluriel de mélange.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mélanger and mélanges apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
mélanger
8 ch
mélanges

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mélanger is \me.lɑ̃.ʒe\ while mélanges is \me.lɑ̃ʒ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - r in “mélanger” becomes s in “mélanges”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21013, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mélanger is recorded at frequency rank #9,202, classified as averb, pronounced \me.lɑ̃.ʒe\. mélanges is at rank #11,811, tagged as anoun, pronounced \me.lɑ̃ʒ\.

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 21013, this pair ranks #365,307 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mélanger vs mélanges

Shared letters: aeglmné. Private to "mélanger": r. Private to "mélanges": s.

"mélanger" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "mélanges" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

mélanger#9,202
mélanges#11,811

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mélanger" and "mélanges" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mélanger" is a verb and "mélanges" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mélanger" or "mélanges"?
"mélanger" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,202 in our French list, against #11,811 for "mélanges". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mélanger vs mélanges

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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