Which to use
“séances” and “semences” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,448
- “séances” frequency rank
- #14,362
- “semences” frequency rank
- 18810
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | séances | semences |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de séance. | Pluriel de semence. |
Where the eye mixes séances and semences
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. séances runs 7 letters (CVVCCVC) against semences's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: séances vs semences
A purely visual mix-up. séances (\se.ɑ̃s\) and semences (\sə.mɑ̃s\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18810, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
séances is recorded at frequency rank #4,448, classified as anoun, pronounced \se.ɑ̃s\. semences is at rank #14,362, tagged as anoun, pronounced \sə.mɑ̃s\.
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 18810, this pair ranks #376,470 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of séances vs semences
Shared letters: cens. Private to "séances": aé. Private to "semences": m.
"séances" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC · "semences" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- semences ← esmences · seemnces · semecnes · semencces · semencess · semencse · semenecs · semennces
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "séances" and "semences" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "séances" vs "semences" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "séances" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "semences" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #376,470 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "séances" and "semences" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "séances vs sentes". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #376,470 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.