Which to use
“requin” is a noun and “return” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,907
- “requin” frequency rank
- #23,674
- “return” frequency rank
- 33581
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | requin | return |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Espèce de poisson de mer prédateur de la classe des chondrichthyens (Chondrichthyens), à la silhouette fuselée, hydrodynamique, ayant plusieurs rangées de dents tranchantes à chacune des 2 mâchoires, une nageoire dorsale, deux pectorales, et une nageoire caudale hétérocerque (asymétrique), ayant cinq à sept fentes branchiales sur le côté, et une peau rugueuse (denticules dermiques). | Retourner. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set requin and return apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
requin and return form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33581, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
requin is recorded at frequency rank #9,907, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁə.kɛ̃\. return is at rank #23,674, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɹɪ.ˈtɝn\.
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 33581, this pair ranks #289,645 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "requin" and "return" be used interchangeably?
Remembering requin vs return
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “requin”; for a verb, it's “return”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “requin” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable