Which to use
“sanction” and “sanctions” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,439
- “sanction” frequency rank
- #6,029
- “sanctions” frequency rank
- 12468
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sanction | sanctions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acte par lequel le souverain, le chef du pouvoir exécutif donne à une loi l’approbation, la confirmation qui la rend exécutoire. | Pluriel de sanction. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sanction and sanctions apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
This is the hard kind. sanction and sanctions are pronounced identically (\sɑ̃k.sjɔ̃\) 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) - “sanction” sits inside “sanctions”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12468, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sanction is recorded at frequency rank #6,439, classified as anoun, pronounced \sɑ̃k.sjɔ̃\. sanctions is at rank #6,029, tagged as anoun, pronounced \sɑ̃k.sjɔ̃\.
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 12468, this pair ranks #405,144 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sanction vs sanctions
Shared letters: acinost. Private to "sanction": -. Private to "sanctions": -.
"sanction" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC · "sanctions" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sanction" and "sanctions" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sanction" or "sanctions"?
Remembering sanction vs sanctions
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 “sanction” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable