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. |
Same sound, different letters: réticence vs réticences
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 9 letters. réticence runs 9 letters (CVCVCVCCV) against réticences's 10 (CVCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Ear matches; page differs - réticence and réticences
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "réticence" and "réticences" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "réticence" or "réticences"?
What to do next
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "réticence" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "réticences" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #210,349 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "réticence" and "réticences" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "réticence vs réticente". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #210,349 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.