promessevspromessesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“promesse” and “promesses” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,636
“promesse” frequency rank
#4,365
“promesses” frequency rank
8001
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature promesse promesses
Definition Action de promettre ; ou résultat de cette action. Pluriel de promesse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set promesse and promesses apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
promesse
9 ch
promesses

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. promesse (\pʁɔ.mɛs\) and promesses (\pʁɔ.mes\) 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) - “promesse” sits inside “promesses”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8001, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

promesse is recorded at frequency rank #3,636, classified as anoun, pronounced \pʁɔ.mɛs\. promesses is at rank #4,365, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pʁɔ.mes\.

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 8001, this pair ranks #421,447 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of promesse vs promesses

Shared letters: emoprs. Private to "promesse": -. Private to "promesses": -.

"promesse" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCCV  ·  "promesses" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • promessepormesse · ppromesse · prmoesse · proemsse · promese · promeses · prommesse · promsese
  • promessespormesses · ppromesses · prmoesses · proemsses · promesess · promessess · promessse · prommesses

Frequency comparison

promesse#3,636
promesses#4,365

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "promesse" and "promesses" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\pʁɔ.mɛs\ versus \pʁɔ.mes\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "promesse" or "promesses"?
"promesse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,636 in our French list, against #4,365 for "promesses". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering promesse vs promesses

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “promesse” 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