Which to use
“problème” and “problems” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #329
- “problème” frequency rank
- #39,467
- “problems” frequency rank
- 39796
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | problème | problems |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Question scientifique à résoudre. | Pluriel de problem. |
Where the eye mixes problème and problems
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses problème with problems
A purely visual mix-up. problème (\pʁɔ.blɛm\) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39796, 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\. 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 39796, this pair ranks #245,311 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of problème vs problems
Shared letters: belmopr. Private to "problème": è. Private to "problems": s.
"problème" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCV · "problems" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- problems ← porblems · pproblems · prbolems · probblems · probelms · problemms · problemss · problesm
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "problème" and "problems" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "problème" vs "problems" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "problème" 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 #245,311 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "problème" and "problems" 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 #245,311 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.