résignervsrésonnerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,134
“résigner” frequency rank
#28,732
“résonner” frequency rank
57866
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature résigner résonner
Definition Se démettre, remettre. Il s’entendait ordinairement d’un bénéfice. Renvoyer le son ; le concentrer par réflexion.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
résigner
8 ch
résonner

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. résigner (\ʁe.zi.ɲe\) and résonner (\ʁe.zɔ.ne\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57866, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

résigner is recorded at frequency rank #29,134, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.zi.ɲe\. résonner is at rank #28,732, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.zɔ.ne\.

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 57866, this pair ranks #112,471 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of résigner vs résonner

Shared letters: enrsé. Private to "résigner": gi. Private to "résonner": o.

"résigner" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "résonner" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

résigner#29,134
résonner#28,732

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "résigner" and "résonner" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁe.zi.ɲe\ versus \ʁe.zɔ.ne\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "résigner" or "résonner"?
"résonner" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,732 in our French list, against #29,134 for "résigner". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering résigner vs résonner

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 “résigner” 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