Which to use
“ons” is a noun and “ont” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30,725
- “ons” frequency rank
- #61
- “ont” frequency rank
- 30786
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ons | ont |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de on. | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent du verbe avoir. |
Same sound, different letters: ons vs ont
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 2 letters.
Homophone desk: ons vs ont
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: ons and ont carry the same recorded pronunciation, \ɔ̃\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by a single letter - s in “ons” becomes t in “ont”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ons is recorded at frequency rank #30,725, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɔ̃\. ont is at rank #61, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɔ̃\.
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 30786, this pair ranks #307,994 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ons vs ont
Shared letters: no. Private to "ons": s. Private to "ont": t.
"ons" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ont" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ons" for "ont" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ons" vs "ont" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
You've separated the homophone pair "ons" / "ont". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "ons" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ont" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #307,994 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ons" and "ont" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "och vs ons". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #307,994 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.