Which to use
“sélectif” and “sélectifs” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,784
- “sélectif” frequency rank
- #40,526
- “sélectifs” frequency rank
- 62310
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sélectif | sélectifs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a le caractère de la sélection ; qui opère un tri. | Masculin pluriel de sélectif. |
Same sound, different letters: sélectif vs sélectifs
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 8 letters.
Same sound, different spelling - sélectif / sélectifs
This is the hard kind. sélectif and sélectifs are pronounced identically (\se.lɛk.tif\) and both work as anadjective. 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) - “sélectif” sits inside “sélectifs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62310, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sélectif is recorded at frequency rank #21,784, classified as anadj, pronounced \se.lɛk.tif\. sélectifs is at rank #40,526, tagged as anadj, pronounced \se.lɛk.tif\.
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 62310, this pair ranks #87,799 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sélectif vs sélectifs
Shared letters: cefilsté. Private to "sélectif": -. Private to "sélectifs": -.
"sélectif" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "sélectifs" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sélectif" for "sélectifs" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "sélectif" or "sélectifs" show up more?
After this comparison
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "sélectif" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sélectifs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #87,799 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sélectif" and "sélectifs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sélectifs vs sélectives". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #87,799 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.