périrvspérirentWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,204
“périr” frequency rank
#48,129
“périrent” frequency rank
75333
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature périr périrent
Definition Prendre fin ; cesser d’être. Troisième personne du pluriel du passé simple de périr.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
périr
8 ch
périrent

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. périr and périrent are pronounced identically (\pe.ʁiʁ\) and both work as averb. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 3 extra letter(s) - “périr” sits inside “périrent”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75333, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

périr is recorded at frequency rank #27,204, classified as averb, pronounced \pe.ʁiʁ\. périrent is at rank #48,129, tagged as averb, pronounced \pe.ʁiʁ\.

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 75333, this pair ranks #34,391 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of périr vs périrent

Shared letters: ipré. Private to "périr": -. Private to "périrent": ent.

"périr" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "périrent" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC

Frequency comparison

périr#27,204
périrent#48,129

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "périr" and "périrent" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\pe.ʁiʁ\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.
Which is more common, "périr" or "périrent"?
"périr" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,204 in our French list, against #48,129 for "périrent". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering périr vs périrent

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 “périr” 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