Which to use
“résistant” is an adjective and “résistent” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,614
- “résistant” frequency rank
- #16,994
- “résistent” frequency rank
- 25608
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | résistant | résistent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui oppose de la résistance ; qui est solide. | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de résister. |
Where the eye mixes résistant and résistent
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: résistant vs résistent
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: résistant is \ʁe.zis.tɑ̃\ while résistent is \ʁe.zist\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “résistant” becomes e in “résistent”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25608, 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\. résistent is at rank #16,994, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.zist\.
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 25608, this pair ranks #339,876 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of résistant vs résistent
Shared letters: inrsté. Private to "résistant": a. Private to "résistent": e.
"résistant" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC · "résistent" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "résistant" and "résistent" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "résistant" vs "résistent" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "résistant" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "résistent" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #339,876 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "résistant" and "résistent" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "résistent vs résistera". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #339,876 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.