opinionvsoptionWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,488
“opinion” frequency rank
#2,373
“option” frequency rank
3861
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature opinion option
Definition Avis que l'on a sur une chose ; jugement de cette chose. Action d’opter.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
opinion
6 ch
option

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. opinion (\ɔ.pi.njɔ̃\) and option (\ɔp.sjɔ̃\) 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 3861, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

opinion is recorded at frequency rank #1,488, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɔ.pi.njɔ̃\. option is at rank #2,373, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɔp.sjɔ̃\.

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 3861, this pair ranks #433,026 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of opinion vs option

Shared letters: inop. Private to "opinion": -. Private to "option": t.

"opinion" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVVC  ·  "option" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • opinionoipnion · opiinon · opinino · opinionn · opinnion · opinoin · opniion · oppinion
  • optionopiton · opption · optino · optionn · optoin · opttion · otpion

Frequency comparison

opinion#1,488
option#2,373

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "opinion" and "option" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ɔ.pi.njɔ̃\ versus \ɔp.sjɔ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "opinion" or "option"?
"opinion" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,488 in our French list, against #2,373 for "option". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering opinion vs option

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 “opinion” 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