Which to use
“problème” and “problèmes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #329
- “problème” frequency rank
- #676
- “problèmes” frequency rank
- 1005
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | problème | problèmes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Question scientifique à résoudre. | Pluriel de problème. |
Same sound, different letters: problème vs problèmes
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 8 letters.
Ear matches; page differs - problème and problèmes
This is the hard kind. problème and problèmes are pronounced identically (\pʁɔ.blɛm\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “problème” sits inside “problèmes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1005, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
problème is recorded at frequency rank #329, classified as anoun, pronounced \pʁɔ.blɛm\. 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 1005, this pair ranks #438,776 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of problème vs problèmes
Shared letters: belmoprè. Private to "problème": -. Private to "problèmes": s.
"problème" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCV · "problèmes" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "problème" for "problèmes" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "problème" or "problèmes" show up more?
What to do next
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "problème" 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 #438,776 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "problème" and "problèmes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "problèmes vs proclamés". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #438,776 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.