Which to use
“problèmes” and “problems” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #676
- “problèmes” frequency rank
- #39,467
- “problems” frequency rank
- 40143
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | problèmes | problems |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de problème. | Pluriel de problem. |
Where the eye mixes problèmes and problems
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses problèmes with problems
A purely visual mix-up. problèmes (\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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40143, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
problèmes is recorded at frequency rank #676, 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 40143, this pair ranks #242,710 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of problèmes vs problems
Shared letters: belmoprs. Private to "problèmes": è. Private to "problems": -.
"problèmes" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCVC · "problems" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- problems ← porblems · pproblems · prbolems · probblems · probelms · problemms · problemss · problesm
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "problèmes" and "problems" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "problèmes" vs "problems" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "problèmes" 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 #242,710 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "problèmes" 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 #242,710 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.