Which to use
“parsons” and “pensons” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,102
- “parsons” frequency rank
- #6,985
- “pensons” frequency rank
- 39087
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | parsons | pensons |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent du verbe parser. | Première personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de penser. |
Where the eye mixes parsons and pensons
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between parsons and pensons
A purely visual mix-up. parsons (\paʁ.sɔ̃\) and pensons (\pɑ̃.sɔ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39087, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
parsons is recorded at frequency rank #32,102, classified as averb, pronounced \paʁ.sɔ̃\. pensons is at rank #6,985, tagged as averb, pronounced \pɑ̃.sɔ̃\.
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 39087, this pair ranks #250,604 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of parsons vs pensons
Shared letters: nops. Private to "parsons": ar. Private to "pensons": e.
"parsons" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "pensons" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "parsons" for "pensons" ever safe?
Which is more common, "parsons" or "pensons"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "parsons" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pensons" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #250,604 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "parsons" and "pensons" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "parsons vs persans". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #250,604 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.