semisvssoisWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: semis is a noun, sois is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“semis” is a noun and “sois” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,280
“semis” frequency rank
#1,787
“sois” frequency rank
22067
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature semis sois
Definition Mise en terre des semences ; action de semer. Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de être.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set semis and sois apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
semis
4 ch
sois

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

semis and sois form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22067, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

semis is recorded at frequency rank #20,280, classified as anoun, pronounced \sə.mi\. sois is at rank #1,787, tagged as averb, pronounced \swa\.

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 22067, this pair ranks #359,976 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

semis#20,280
sois#1,787

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "semis" and "sois" be used interchangeably?
No, "semis" and "sois" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering semis vs sois

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “semis”; for a verb, it's “sois”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “semis” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list