Which to use
“Problem” and “problems” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,988
- “Problem” frequency rank
- #39,467
- “problems” frequency rank
- 63455
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Problem | problems |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Problème, question difficile à résoudre. | Pluriel de problem. |
Where the eye mixes Problem and problems
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Problem with problems
A purely visual mix-up. Problem (\pʁoˈb.leːm\) and problems (\ˈpɹɑ.bləmz\) 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) - “Problem” sits inside “problems”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63455, 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\. problems is at rank #39,467, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈpɹɑ.bləmz\.
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 63455, this pair ranks #81,870 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Problem vs problems
Shared letters: belmopr. Private to "Problem": -. Private to "problems": s.
"Problem" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "problems" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Problem" and "problems" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Problem" or "problems"?
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 "problems" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #81,870 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Problem" and "problems" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "problèmes 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 #81,870 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.