planesvsplanètesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,958
“planes” frequency rank
#7,880
“planètes” frequency rank
40838
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature planes planètes
Definition Pluriel de plane. Pluriel de planète.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set planes and planètes apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
planes
8 ch
planètes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. planes (\plan\) and planètes (\pla.nɛt\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40838, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

planes is recorded at frequency rank #32,958, classified as anoun, pronounced \plan\. planètes is at rank #7,880, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pla.nɛt\.

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 40838, this pair ranks #237,512 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of planes vs planètes

Shared letters: aelnps. Private to "planes": -. Private to "planètes": .

"planes" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "planètes" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • planeslpanes · palnes · plaens · planess · plannes · planse · pllanes · plnaes

Frequency comparison

planes#32,958
planètes#7,880

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "planes" and "planètes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\plan\ versus \pla.nɛt\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "planes" or "planètes"?
"planètes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,880 in our French list, against #32,958 for "planes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering planes vs planètes

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 “planes” 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