profondvsprofondeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: profond is a adjective, profonde is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“profond” is an adjective and “profonde” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,355
“profond” frequency rank
#3,792
“profonde” frequency rank
7147
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature profond profonde
Definition Qui a une cavité considérable ; dont le fond est éloigné de la surface, de l’ouverture, du bord, etc. Poche d’un vêtement.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set profond and profonde apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
profond
8 ch
profonde

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

profond and profonde form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “profond” sits inside “profonde” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7147, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

profond is recorded at frequency rank #3,355, classified as anadj, pronounced \pʁɔ.fɔ̃\. profonde is at rank #3,792, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pʁɔ.fɔ̃d\.

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 7147, this pair ranks #424,076 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

profond#3,355
profonde#3,792

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "profond" and "profonde" be used interchangeably?
No, "profond" and "profonde" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering profond vs profonde

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “profond”; for a noun, it's “profonde”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “profond” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list