répandrevsrépanduesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: répandre is a verb, répandues is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“répandre” is a verb and “répandues” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,472
“répandre” frequency rank
#24,760
“répandues” frequency rank
37232
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature répandre répandues
Definition Épancher ; verser ; laisser tomber un liquide. Féminin pluriel de répandu.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set répandre and répandues apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
répandre
9 ch
répandues

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: répandre is \ʁe.pɑ̃dʁ\ while répandues is \ʁe.pɑ̃.dy\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37232, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

répandre is recorded at frequency rank #12,472, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.pɑ̃dʁ\. répandues is at rank #24,760, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.pɑ̃.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 37232, this pair ranks #263,955 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of répandre vs répandues

Shared letters: adenpré. Private to "répandre": -. Private to "répandues": su.

"répandre" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV  ·  "répandues" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

répandre#12,472
répandues#24,760

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "répandre" and "répandues" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "répandre" is a verb and "répandues" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "répandre" or "répandues"?
"répandre" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,472 in our French list, against #24,760 for "répandues". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering répandre vs répandues

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “répandre”; for an adjective, it's “répandues”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “répandre” 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