obtenusvsobtusWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: obtenus is a verb, obtus is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“obtenus” is a verb and “obtus” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,222
“obtenus” frequency rank
#38,455
“obtus” frequency rank
44677
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature obtenus obtus
Definition Participe passé masculin pluriel de obtenir. Qui est arrondi, émoussé au lieu d’être anguleux ou pointu.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
obtenus
5 ch
obtus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: obtenus is \ɔp.tə.ny\ while obtus is \ɔp.ty\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44677, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

obtenus is recorded at frequency rank #6,222, classified as averb, pronounced \ɔp.tə.ny\. obtus is at rank #38,455, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ɔp.ty\.

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 44677, this pair ranks #208,657 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of obtenus vs obtus

Shared letters: bostu. Private to "obtenus": en. Private to "obtus": -.

"obtenus" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "obtus" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • obtenusbotenus · obbtenus · obetnus · obtennus · obtensu · obtenuss · obteuns · obtneus
  • obtusobbtus · obtsu · obttus · obtuss · otbus

Frequency comparison

obtenus#6,222
obtus#38,455

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "obtenus" and "obtus" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "obtenus" is a verb and "obtus" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "obtenus" or "obtus"?
"obtenus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,222 in our French list, against #38,455 for "obtus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering obtenus vs obtus

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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