Which to use
“phrase” and “phrases” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,882
- “phrase” frequency rank
- #4,699
- “phrases” frequency rank
- 6581
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | phrase | phrases |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Séquence de propositions ordonnées en fonction des règles de la grammaire, permettant de décrire quelque chose. | Pluriel de phrase. |
Where the eye mixes phrase and phrases
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: phrase vs phrases
A purely visual mix-up. phrase (\fʁɑz\) and phrases (\fʁaz\) 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 extra letter(s) - “phrase” sits inside “phrases”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6581, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
phrase is recorded at frequency rank #1,882, classified as anoun, pronounced \fʁɑz\. phrases is at rank #4,699, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fʁaz\.
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 6581, this pair ranks #425,835 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of phrase vs phrases
Shared letters: aehprs. Private to "phrase": -. Private to "phrases": -.
"phrase" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "phrases" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "phrase" and "phrases" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "phrase" or "phrases"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "phrase" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "phrases" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #425,835 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "phrase" and "phrases" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "phrases vs piratés". 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 #425,835 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.