Which to use
“répondeur” is an adjective and “répondu” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,019
- “répondeur” frequency rank
- #2,017
- “répondu” frequency rank
- 26036
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | répondeur | répondu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a l’habitude de répondre, de répliquer à un reproche, à un ordre. | Participe passé masculin singulier de répondre. |
Where the eye mixes répondeur and répondu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. répondeur runs 9 letters (CVCVCCVVC) against répondu's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between répondeur and répondu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: répondeur is \ʁe.pɔ̃.dœʁ\ while répondu is \ʁe.pɔ̃.dy\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26036, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
répondeur is recorded at frequency rank #24,019, classified as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.pɔ̃.dœʁ\. répondu is at rank #2,017, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.pɔ̃.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 26036, this pair ranks #337,482 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of répondeur vs répondu
Shared letters: dnoprué. Private to "répondeur": e. Private to "répondu": -.
"répondeur" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "répondu" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "répondeur" and "répondu" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "répondeur" or "répondu" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "répondeur" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "répondu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #337,482 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "répondeur" and "répondu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "refonder vs répondeur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #337,482 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.