Which to use
“réalisme” is a noun and “réalistes” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,071
- “réalisme” frequency rank
- #14,141
- “réalistes” frequency rank
- 23212
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | réalisme | réalistes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Doctrine platonicienne, diversement interprétée et modifiée au Moyen Âge et après, selon laquelle les idées sont des êtres réels, dont les êtres individuels et sensibles ne sont que le reflet et l’image. En ce sens il s’oppose à nominalisme. Dans certaines autres doctrines de la philosophie moderne, il s’oppose à idéalisme. | Pluriel de réaliste. |
Where the eye mixes réalisme and réalistes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. réalisme runs 8 letters (CVVCVCCV) against réalistes's 9 (CVVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses réalisme with réalistes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: réalisme is \ʁe.a.lism\ while réalistes is \ʁe.a.list\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23212, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
réalisme is recorded at frequency rank #9,071, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.a.lism\. réalistes is at rank #14,141, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.a.list\.
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 23212, this pair ranks #353,772 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of réalisme vs réalistes
Shared letters: aeilrsé. Private to "réalisme": m. Private to "réalistes": t.
"réalisme" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCCV · "réalistes" · 9 letters · shape CVVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "réalisme" and "réalistes" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "réalisme" or "réalistes"?
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 "réalisme" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "réalistes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #353,772 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réalisme" and "réalistes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réalisons vs réalistes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #353,772 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.