probantvsprobantsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: probant is a noun, probants is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“probant” is a noun and “probants” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#34,265
“probant” frequency rank
#37,980
“probants” frequency rank
72245
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature probant probants
Definition Dans une enquête familiale sur une maladie génétique, nom donné au sujet initial de l'enquête. Masculin pluriel de probant.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
probant
8 ch
probants

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Say them out loud and nothing separates them: probant and probants carry the same recorded pronunciation, \pʁɔ.bɑ̃\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “probant” sits inside “probants”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

probant is recorded at frequency rank #34,265, classified as anoun, pronounced \pʁɔ.bɑ̃\. probants is at rank #37,980, tagged as anadj, pronounced \pʁɔ.bɑ̃\.

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 72245, this pair ranks #44,682 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of probant vs probants

Shared letters: abnoprt. Private to "probant": -. Private to "probants": s.

"probant" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCC  ·  "probants" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • probantporbant · pprobant · prboant · proabnt · probannt · probantt · probatn · probbant
  • probantsporbants · pprobants · prboants · proabnts · probannts · probanst · probantss · probantts

Frequency comparison

probant#34,265
probants#37,980

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "probant" and "probants" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "probant" is a noun and "probants" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "probant" or "probants"?
"probant" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,265 in our French list, against #37,980 for "probants". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering probant vs probants

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “probant”; for an adjective, it's “probants”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “probant” 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