Which to use
“modernes” and “modestes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,547
- “modernes” frequency rank
- #9,348
- “modestes” frequency rank
- 12895
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | modernes | modestes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de moderne. | Pluriel de modeste. |
Where the eye mixes modernes and modestes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. modernes and modestes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between modernes and modestes
A purely visual mix-up. modernes (\mɔ.dɛʁn\) and modestes (\mɔ.dɛst\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12895, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
modernes is recorded at frequency rank #3,547, classified as anadj, pronounced \mɔ.dɛʁn\. modestes is at rank #9,348, tagged as anadj, pronounced \mɔ.dɛst\.
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 12895, this pair ranks #403,298 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of modernes vs modestes
Shared letters: demos. Private to "modernes": nr. Private to "modestes": t.
"modernes" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "modestes" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "modernes" for "modestes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "modernes" vs "modestes" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "modernes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "modestes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #403,298 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "modernes" and "modestes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "modernes vs modernisé". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #403,298 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.