Which to use
“Problem” and “problèmes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,988
- “Problem” frequency rank
- #676
- “problèmes” frequency rank
- 24664
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Problem | problèmes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Problème, question difficile à résoudre. | Pluriel de problème. |
Where the eye mixes Problem and problèmes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Problem with problèmes
A purely visual mix-up. Problem (\pʁoˈb.leːm\) and problèmes (\pʁɔ.blɛm\) 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 24664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Problem is recorded at frequency rank #23,988, classified as anoun, pronounced \pʁoˈb.leːm\. problèmes is at rank #676, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pʁɔ.blɛm\.
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 24664, this pair ranks #345,316 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Problem vs problèmes
Shared letters: belmopr. Private to "Problem": -. Private to "problèmes": sè.
"Problem" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "problèmes" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Problem ← porblem · pproblem · prbolem · probblem · probelm · problemm · probllem · problme
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Problem" for "problèmes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Problem" vs "problèmes" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Problem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "problèmes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #345,316 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Problem" and "problèmes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Problem vs problems". 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 #345,316 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.