répondezvsréponduWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,575
“répondez” frequency rank
#2,017
“répondu” frequency rank
12592
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature répondez répondu
Definition Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de répondre. Participe passé masculin singulier de répondre.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
répondez
7 ch
répondu

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. répondez (\ʁe.pɔ̃.de\) and répondu (\ʁe.pɔ̃.dy\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12592, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

répondez is recorded at frequency rank #10,575, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.pɔ̃.de\. 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 12592, this pair ranks #404,599 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of répondez vs répondu

Shared letters: dnopré. Private to "répondez": ez. Private to "répondu": u.

"répondez" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "répondu" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Frequency comparison

répondez#10,575
répondu#2,017

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "répondez" and "répondu" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁe.pɔ̃.de\ versus \ʁe.pɔ̃.dy\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "répondez" or "répondu"?
"répondu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,017 in our French list, against #10,575 for "répondez". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering répondez vs répondu

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 “répondez” 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