Which to use
“séances” and “sévices” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,448
- “séances” frequency rank
- #30,392
- “sévices” frequency rank
- 34840
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | séances | sévices |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de séance. | Mauvais traitements infligés par une personne ayant autorité à une personne placée sous son autorité, pouvant aller jusqu'aux coups. |
Where the eye mixes séances and sévices
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. séances (CVVCCVC) and sévices (CVCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: séances vs sévices
A purely visual mix-up. séances (\se.ɑ̃s\) and sévices (\se.vis\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34840, 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\. sévices is at rank #30,392, tagged as anoun, pronounced \se.vis\.
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 34840, this pair ranks #280,977 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of séances vs sévices
Shared letters: cesé. Private to "séances": an. Private to "sévices": iv.
"séances" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC · "sévices" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "séances" and "sévices" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "séances" vs "sévices" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "séances" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sévices" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #280,977 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "séances" and "sévices" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sémites vs sévices". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #280,977 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.