préparervspréparezWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,715
“préparer” frequency rank
#10,561
“préparez” frequency rank
12276
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature préparer préparez
Definition Apprêter, disposer mettre une chose dans l’état convenable à l’usage auquel on la destine. Deuxième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de préparer.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set préparer and préparez apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
préparer
8 ch
préparez

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. préparer and préparez are pronounced identically (\pʁe.pa.ʁe\) 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 a single letter - r in “préparer” becomes z in “préparez”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12276, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

préparer is recorded at frequency rank #1,715, classified as averb, pronounced \pʁe.pa.ʁe\. préparez is at rank #10,561, tagged as averb, pronounced \pʁe.pa.ʁe\.

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 12276, this pair ranks #405,915 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of préparer vs préparez

Shared letters: aepré. Private to "préparer": -. Private to "préparez": z.

"préparer" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC  ·  "préparez" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

préparer#1,715
préparez#10,561

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "préparer" and "préparez" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\pʁe.pa.ʁe\), 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, "préparer" or "préparez"?
"préparer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,715 in our French list, against #10,561 for "préparez". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering préparer vs préparez

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 “préparer” 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