recenservsrecensésWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,104
“recenser” frequency rank
#18,299
“recensés” frequency rank
47403
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature recenser recensés
Definition Compter ou évaluer les éléments d’une grandeur nombrable ; dénombrer ; quantifier. Participe passé masculin pluriel de recenser.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set recenser and recensés apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
recenser
8 ch
recensés

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. recenser and recensés are pronounced identically (\ʁə.sɑ̃.se\) and both work as averb. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47403, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

recenser is recorded at frequency rank #29,104, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁə.sɑ̃.se\. recensés is at rank #18,299, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁə.sɑ̃.se\.

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 47403, this pair ranks #187,243 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of recenser vs recensés

Shared letters: cenrs. Private to "recenser": -. Private to "recensés": é.

"recenser" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "recensés" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • recenserercenser · rceenser · reccenser · recenesr · recennser · recenserr · recensre · recensser

Frequency comparison

recenser#29,104
recensés#18,299

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "recenser" and "recensés" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\ʁə.sɑ̃.se\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.
Which is more common, "recenser" or "recensés"?
"recensés" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,299 in our French list, against #29,104 for "recenser". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering recenser vs recensés

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 “recenser” 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