Which to use
“pètent” is a verb and “pètes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,422
- “pètent” frequency rank
- #48,737
- “pètes” frequency rank
- 82159
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pètent | pètes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de péter. | Pluriel de pète. |
Same sound, different letters: pètent vs pètes
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 4 letters. pètent runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against pètes's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Ear matches; page differs - pètent and pètes
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: pètent and pètes carry the same recorded pronunciation, \pɛt\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82159, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pètent is recorded at frequency rank #33,422, classified as averb, pronounced \pɛt\. pètes is at rank #48,737, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pɛt\.
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 82159, this pair ranks #17,291 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pètent vs pètes
Shared letters: eptè. Private to "pètent": n. Private to "pètes": s.
"pètent" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "pètes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pètent" and "pètes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "pètent" vs "pètes" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "pètent" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pètes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #17,291 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pètent" and "pètes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "peep vs pètes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #17,291 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.