réticence vs réticences, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#22,693
“réticence” frequency rank: #21,761
“réticences” frequency rank: 44454
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	réticence	réticences
Definition	Action de taire à dessein une chose qu’on pourrait ou qu’on devrait dire.	Pluriel de réticence.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set réticence and réticences apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch

réticence

10 ch

réticences

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. réticence and réticences are pronounced identically (\ʁe.ti.sɑ̃s\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “réticence” sits inside “réticences”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44454, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

réticence is recorded at frequency rank #22,693, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.ti.sɑ̃s\. réticences is at rank #21,761, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.ti.sɑ̃s\.

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 44454, this pair ranks #210,349 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of réticence vs réticences

Shared letters: ceinrté. Private to "réticence": -. Private to "réticences": s.

"réticence" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV · "réticences" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

réticence#22,693

réticences#21,761

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "réticence" and "réticences" be used interchangeably?

No. They are pronounced the same (\ʁe.ti.sɑ̃s\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.

Which is more common, "réticence" or "réticences"?

"réticences" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,761 in our French list, against #22,693 for "réticence". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering réticence vs réticences

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 “réticence” entry
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