réunissaitvsréunissantWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,864
“réunissait” frequency rank
#11,482
“réunissant” frequency rank
38346
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature réunissait réunissant
Definition Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif imparfait de réunir. Participe présent de réunir.

Where the spellings diverge

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

10 ch
réunissait
10 ch
réunissant

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. réunissait (\ʁe.y.ni.sɛ\) and réunissant (\ʁe.y.ni.sɑ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - i in “réunissait” becomes n in “réunissant”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38346, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

réunissait is recorded at frequency rank #26,864, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁe.y.ni.sɛ\. réunissant is at rank #11,482, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁe.y.ni.sɑ̃\.

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 38346, this pair ranks #255,873 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of réunissait vs réunissant

Shared letters: ainrstué. Private to "réunissait": -. Private to "réunissant": -.

"réunissait" · 10 letters · shape CVVCVCCVVC  ·  "réunissant" · 10 letters · shape CVVCVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

réunissait#26,864
réunissant#11,482

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "réunissait" and "réunissant" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁe.y.ni.sɛ\ versus \ʁe.y.ni.sɑ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "réunissait" or "réunissant"?
"réunissant" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,482 in our French list, against #26,864 for "réunissait". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering réunissait vs réunissant

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 “réunissait” 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