reconnuvsréponduWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,100
“reconnu” frequency rank
#2,017
“répondu” frequency rank
4117
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reconnu répondu
Definition Participe passé masculin singulier de reconnaître (ou reconnaitre). Participe passé masculin singulier de répondre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set reconnu and répondu apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
reconnu
7 ch
répondu

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. reconnu (\ʁə.kɔ.ny\) and répondu (\ʁe.pɔ̃.dy\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4117, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reconnu is recorded at frequency rank #2,100, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁə.kɔ.ny\. répondu is at rank #2,017, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.pɔ̃.dy\.

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 4117, this pair ranks #432,416 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of reconnu vs répondu

Shared letters: noru. Private to "reconnu": ce. Private to "répondu": dpé.

"reconnu" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "répondu" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • reconnuerconnu · rceonnu · recconnu · recnonu · reconu · reconun · reocnnu · rreconnu

Frequency comparison

reconnu#2,100
répondu#2,017

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reconnu" and "répondu" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁə.kɔ.ny\ versus \ʁe.pɔ̃.dy\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "reconnu" or "répondu"?
"répondu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,017 in our French list, against #2,100 for "reconnu". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reconnu vs répondu

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 “reconnu” 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