redoutablevsredoutablesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,730
“redoutable” frequency rank
#23,002
“redoutables” frequency rank
32732
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature redoutable redoutables
Definition Qui est à redouter ; qui inspire la crainte, l'angoisse. Pluriel de redoutable.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set redoutable and redoutables apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
redoutable
11 ch
redoutables

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. redoutable and redoutables are pronounced identically (\ʁə.du.tabl\) and both work as anadjective. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “redoutable” sits inside “redoutables”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32732, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

redoutable is recorded at frequency rank #9,730, classified as anadj, pronounced \ʁə.du.tabl\. redoutables is at rank #23,002, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁə.du.tabl\.

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 32732, this pair ranks #295,312 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of redoutable vs redoutables

Shared letters: abdelortu. Private to "redoutable": -. Private to "redoutables": s.

"redoutable" · 10 letters · shape CVCVVCVCCV  ·  "redoutables" · 11 letters · shape CVCVVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • redoutableerdoutable · rdeoutable · reddoutable · redotuable · redouatble · redoutabble · redoutabel · redoutablle
  • redoutableserdoutables · rdeoutables · reddoutables · redotuables · redouatbles · redoutabbles · redoutabels · redoutabless

Frequency comparison

redoutable#9,730
redoutables#23,002

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "redoutable" and "redoutables" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\ʁə.du.tabl\), 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, "redoutable" or "redoutables"?
"redoutable" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,730 in our French list, against #23,002 for "redoutables". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering redoutable vs redoutables

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 “redoutable” 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