Which to use
“possession” and “possessions” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,558
- “possession” frequency rank
- #13,868
- “possessions” frequency rank
- 17426
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | possession | possessions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Jouissance, faculté actuelle de disposer ou de jouir d’un bien. | Pluriel de possession. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set possession and possessions apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. possession (\pɔ.sɛ.sjɔ̃\) and possessions (\pɔ.se.sjɔ̃\) 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) - “possession” sits inside “possessions”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17426, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
possession is recorded at frequency rank #3,558, classified as anoun, pronounced \pɔ.sɛ.sjɔ̃\. possessions is at rank #13,868, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pɔ.se.sjɔ̃\.
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 17426, this pair ranks #383,225 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of possession vs possessions
Shared letters: einops. Private to "possession": -. Private to "possessions": -.
"possession" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC · "possessions" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- possession ← opssession · posession · posesssion · possesion · possesison · possessino · possessionn · possessoin
- possessions ← opssessions · posessions · posesssions · possesions · possesisons · possessinos · possessionns · possessionss
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "possession" and "possessions" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "possession" or "possessions"?
Remembering possession vs possessions
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 “possession” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable