quelquevsquelquesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#230
“quelque” frequency rank
#142
“quelques” frequency rank
372
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature quelque quelques
Definition Un parmi d’autres. Pluriel de l’adjectif indéfini quelque. Un petit nombre de. — Note d’usage : Ce mot peut s’utiliser comme un numéral après un cardinal et et.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
quelque
8 ch
quelques

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

quelque and quelques 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) - “quelque” sits inside “quelques” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 372, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

quelque is recorded at frequency rank #230, classified as anadj, pronounced \kɛlk\. quelques is at rank #142, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kɛlk\.

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 372, this pair ranks #439,742 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

quelque#230
quelques#142

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "quelque" and "quelques" be used interchangeably?
No, "quelque" and "quelques" 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 quelque vs quelques

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 “quelque” 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