régnervsrésignerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,252
“régner” frequency rank
#29,134
“résigner” frequency rank
42386
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature régner résigner
Definition Exercer le pouvoir souverain dans un État monarchique ; se dit des princes souverains, même quand ils ne portent pas le titre de roi. Se démettre, remettre. Il s’entendait ordinairement d’un bénéfice.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
régner
8 ch
résigner

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. régner (\ʁe.ɲe\) and résigner (\ʁe.zi.ɲe\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42386, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

régner is recorded at frequency rank #13,252, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.ɲe\. résigner is at rank #29,134, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.zi.ɲe\.

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 42386, this pair ranks #226,022 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of régner vs résigner

Shared letters: egnré. Private to "régner": -. Private to "résigner": is.

"régner" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "résigner" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

régner#13,252
résigner#29,134

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "régner" and "résigner" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁe.ɲe\ versus \ʁe.zi.ɲe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "régner" or "résigner"?
"régner" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,252 in our French list, against #29,134 for "résigner". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering régner vs résigner

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 “régner” 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