Which to use
“rencontraient” and “rencontrèrent” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,278
- “rencontraient” frequency rank
- #45,836
- “rencontrèrent” frequency rank
- 91114
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rencontraient | rencontrèrent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de l’indicatif de rencontrer. | Troisième personne du pluriel du passé simple de rencontrer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rencontraient and rencontrèrent apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. rencontraient (\ʁɑ̃.kɔ̃.tʁɛ\) and rencontrèrent (\ʁɑ̃.kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ\) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 91114, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rencontraient is recorded at frequency rank #45,278, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁɑ̃.kɔ̃.tʁɛ\. rencontrèrent is at rank #45,836, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁɑ̃.kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ\.
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 91114, this pair ranks #4,147 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of rencontraient vs rencontrèrent
Shared letters: cenort. Private to "rencontraient": ai. Private to "rencontrèrent": è.
"rencontraient" · 13 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVVVCC · "rencontrèrent" · 13 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- rencontraient ← erncontraient · recnontraient · renccontraient · rencnotraient · renconntraient · renconrtaient · rencontarient · rencontraeint
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "rencontraient" and "rencontrèrent" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "rencontraient" or "rencontrèrent"?
Remembering rencontraient vs rencontrèrent
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 “rencontraient” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable