proportionnelvsproportionnellesWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#14,769
“proportionnel” frequency rank
#49,297
“proportionnelles” frequency rank
64066
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature proportionnel proportionnelles
Definition Qui a un rapport de proportion avec une autre chose. Pluriel de proportionnelle.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set proportionnel and proportionnelles apart are highlighted. They share 13 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

13 ch
proportionnel
16 ch
proportionnelles

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Say them out loud and nothing separates them: proportionnel and proportionnelles carry the same recorded pronunciation, \pʁɔ.pɔʁ.sjɔ.nɛl\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 3 extra letter(s) - “proportionnel” sits inside “proportionnelles”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64066, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

proportionnel is recorded at frequency rank #14,769, classified as anadj, pronounced \pʁɔ.pɔʁ.sjɔ.nɛl\. proportionnelles is at rank #49,297, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pʁɔ.pɔʁ.sjɔ.nɛl\.

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 64066, this pair ranks #78,843 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of proportionnel vs proportionnelles

Shared letters: eilnoprt. Private to "proportionnel": -. Private to "proportionnelles": s.

"proportionnel" · 13 letters · shape CCVCVCCVVCCVC  ·  "proportionnelles" · 16 letters · shape CCVCVCCVVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • proportionnelporportionnel · pproportionnel · prooprtionnel · proporitonnel · proporrtionnel · proportinonel · proportionel · proportionenl
  • proportionnellesporportionnelles · pproportionnelles · prooprtionnelles · proporitonnelles · proporrtionnelles · proportinonelles · proportionelles · proportionenlles

Frequency comparison

proportionnel#14,769
proportionnelles#49,297

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "proportionnel" and "proportionnelles" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "proportionnel" is an adjective and "proportionnelles" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "proportionnel" or "proportionnelles"?
"proportionnel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,769 in our French list, against #49,297 for "proportionnelles". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering proportionnel vs proportionnelles

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “proportionnel”; for a noun, it's “proportionnelles”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “proportionnel” 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