obtenuvsobtientWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,828
“obtenu” frequency rank
#3,553
“obtient” frequency rank
5381
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature obtenu obtient
Definition Participe passé masculin singulier de obtenir. Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de obtenir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set obtenu and obtient apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
obtenu
7 ch
obtient

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. obtenu (\ɔp.tə.ny\) and obtient (\ɔp.tjɛ̃\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5381, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

obtenu is recorded at frequency rank #1,828, classified as averb, pronounced \ɔp.tə.ny\. obtient is at rank #3,553, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɔp.tjɛ̃\.

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 5381, this pair ranks #429,174 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of obtenu vs obtient

Shared letters: benot. Private to "obtenu": u. Private to "obtient": i.

"obtenu" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV  ·  "obtient" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • obtenubotenu · obbtenu · obetnu · obtennu · obteun · obtneu · obttenu · otbenu
  • obtientbotient · obbtient · obitent · obteint · obtiennt · obtientt · obtietn · obtinet

Frequency comparison

obtenu#1,828
obtient#3,553

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "obtenu" and "obtient" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ɔp.tə.ny\ versus \ɔp.tjɛ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "obtenu" or "obtient"?
"obtenu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,828 in our French list, against #3,553 for "obtient". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering obtenu vs obtient

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 “obtenu” 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