Which to use
“scènes” is a noun and “semés” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,362
- “scènes” frequency rank
- #45,869
- “semés” frequency rank
- 49231
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scènes | semés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de scène. | Masculin pluriel de semé. |
Where the eye mixes scènes and semés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. scènes runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against semés's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between scènes and semés
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: scènes is \sɛn\ while semés is \sə.me\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49231, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scènes is recorded at frequency rank #3,362, classified as anoun, pronounced \sɛn\. semés is at rank #45,869, tagged as anadj, pronounced \sə.me\.
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 49231, this pair ranks #172,333 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scènes vs semés
Shared letters: es. Private to "scènes": cnè. Private to "semés": mé.
"scènes" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "semés" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "scènes" for "semés" ever safe?
Frequency check: "scènes" vs "semés" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "scènes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "semés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #172,333 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scènes" and "semés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "semés vs sémites". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #172,333 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.