résistantvsrésistantesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#8,614
“résistant” frequency rank
#24,383
“résistantes” frequency rank
32997
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature résistant résistantes
Definition Qui oppose de la résistance ; qui est solide. Féminin pluriel de résistant.

Where the eye mixes résistant and résistantes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.

9 ch
résistant
11 ch
résistantes

Visual trap between résistant and résistantes

A purely visual mix-up. résistant (\ʁe.zis.tɑ̃\) and résistantes (\ʁe.zis.tɑ̃t\) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “résistant” sits inside “résistantes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

résistant is recorded at frequency rank #8,614, classified as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.zis.tɑ̃\. résistantes is at rank #24,383, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.zis.tɑ̃t\.

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 32997, this pair ranks #293,558 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of résistant vs résistantes

Shared letters: ainrsté. Private to "résistant": -. Private to "résistantes": e.

"résistant" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC  ·  "résistantes" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "résistant" and "résistantes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (\ʁe.zis.tɑ̃\ versus \ʁe.zis.tɑ̃t\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "résistant" or "résistantes"?
"résistant" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,614 in our French list, against #24,383 for "résistantes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "résistant" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "résistantes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #293,558 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "résistant" and "résistantes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "récitant vs résistant". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #293,558 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list