Which to use
“retournée” is an adjective and “retourner” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,744
- “retournée” frequency rank
- #2,055
- “retourner” frequency rank
- 17799
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retournée | retourner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de retourné. | Aller de nouveau en un lieu. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set retournée and retourner apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: retournée and retourner carry the same recorded pronunciation, \ʁə.tuʁ.ne\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17799, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retournée is recorded at frequency rank #15,744, classified as anadj, pronounced \ʁə.tuʁ.ne\. retourner is at rank #2,055, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁə.tuʁ.ne\.
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 17799, this pair ranks #381,450 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of retournée vs retourner
Shared letters: enortu. Private to "retournée": é. Private to "retourner": -.
"retournée" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVV · "retourner" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- retourner ← ertourner · reoturner · retoruner · retounrer · retourenr · retournerr · retournner · retournre
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "retournée" and "retourner" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "retournée" or "retourner"?
Remembering retournée vs retourner
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “retournée”; for a verb, it's “retourner”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “retournée” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable