Which to use
“négative” is a noun and “négatives” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,221
- “négative” frequency rank
- #9,707
- “négatives” frequency rank
- 15928
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | négative | négatives |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Se dit de toute proposition par laquelle on nie. | Féminin pluriel de négatif. |
Same sound, different letters: négative vs négatives
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 8 letters.
Ear matches; page differs - négative and négatives
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: négative and négatives carry the same recorded pronunciation, \ne.ɡa.tiv\. 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 extra letter(s) - “négative” sits inside “négatives”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15928, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
négative is recorded at frequency rank #6,221, classified as anoun, pronounced \ne.ɡa.tiv\. négatives is at rank #9,707, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ne.ɡa.tiv\.
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 15928, this pair ranks #390,221 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of négative vs négatives
Shared letters: aegintvé. Private to "négative": -. Private to "négatives": s.
"négative" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV · "négatives" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "négative" and "négatives" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "négative" or "négatives" show up more?
What to do next
You've separated the homophone pair "négative" / "négatives". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "négative" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "négatives" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #390,221 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "négative" and "négatives" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "natives vs négatives". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #390,221 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.