opaquevsopaquesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,689
“opaque” frequency rank
#31,159
“opaques” frequency rank
47848
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature opaque opaques
Definition Qui n’est pas transparent, qui ne laisse pas passer la lumière. Pluriel de opaque.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
opaque
7 ch
opaques

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

opaque and opaques form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “opaque” sits inside “opaques” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47848, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

opaque is recorded at frequency rank #16,689, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɔ.pak\. opaques is at rank #31,159, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ɔ.pak\.

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 47848, this pair ranks #183,671 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

opaque#16,689
opaques#31,159

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "opaque" and "opaques" be used interchangeably?
No, "opaque" and "opaques" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering opaque vs opaques

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 “opaque” 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