répandrevsrépondreWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,472
“répandre” frequency rank
#814
“répondre” frequency rank
13286
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature répandre répondre
Definition Épancher ; verser ; laisser tomber un liquide. Donner une réponse à ce qui a été dit ou demandé.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
répandre
8 ch
répondre

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. répandre (\ʁe.pɑ̃dʁ\) and répondre (\ʁe.pɔ̃dʁ\) 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 a single letter - a in “répandre” becomes o in “répondre”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13286, 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\. répondre is at rank #814, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.pɔ̃dʁ\.

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 13286, this pair ranks #401,645 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of répandre vs répondre

Shared letters: denpré. Private to "répandre": a. Private to "répondre": o.

"répandre" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV  ·  "répondre" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV

Frequency comparison

répandre#12,472
répondre#814

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "répandre" and "répondre" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁe.pɑ̃dʁ\ versus \ʁe.pɔ̃dʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "répandre" or "répondre"?
"répondre" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #814 in our French list, against #12,472 for "répandre". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering répandre vs répondre

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 “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