noblesvsnotablesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“nobles” and “notables” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,466
“nobles” frequency rank
#10,038
“notables” frequency rank
17504
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nobles notables
Definition Pluriel de noble. Pluriel de notable.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nobles and notables apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
nobles
8 ch
notables

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nobles (\nɔbl\) and notables (\nɔ.tabl\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17504, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nobles is recorded at frequency rank #7,466, classified as anadj, pronounced \nɔbl\. notables is at rank #10,038, tagged as anadj, pronounced \nɔ.tabl\.

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 17504, this pair ranks #382,849 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nobles vs notables

Shared letters: belnos. Private to "nobles": -. Private to "notables": at.

"nobles" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "notables" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • noblesnboles · nnobles · nobbles · nobels · nobless · noblles · noblse · nolbes
  • notablesnnotables · noatbles · notabbles · notabels · notabless · notablles · notablse · notalbes

Frequency comparison

nobles#7,466
notables#10,038

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nobles" and "notables" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\nɔbl\ versus \nɔ.tabl\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nobles" or "notables"?
"nobles" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,466 in our French list, against #10,038 for "notables". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nobles vs notables

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nobles” 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