résumévsrésuméeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: résumé is a noun, résumée is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“résumé” is a noun and “résumée” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,452
“résumé” frequency rank
#28,340
“résumée” frequency rank
30792
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature résumé résumée
Definition Ce qui résume un texte, un discours, un propos, etc. Participe passé féminin singulier de résumer.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
résumé
7 ch
résumée

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

résumé and résumée form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “résumé” sits inside “résumée” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

résumé is recorded at frequency rank #2,452, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.zy.me\. résumée is at rank #28,340, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.zy.me\.

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 30792, this pair ranks #307,959 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

résumé#2,452
résumée#28,340

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "résumé" and "résumée" be used interchangeably?
No, "résumé" and "résumée" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering résumé vs résumée

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “résumé”; for a verb, it's “résumée”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “résumé” 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