sensésvsseulesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“sensés” and “seules” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#31,255
“sensés” frequency rank
#2,739
“seules” frequency rank
33994
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sensés seules
Definition Masculin pluriel de sensé. Féminin pluriel de seul.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
sensés
6 ch
seules

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sensés (\sɑ̃.se\) and seules (\sœl\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33994, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sensés is recorded at frequency rank #31,255, classified as anadj, pronounced \sɑ̃.se\. seules is at rank #2,739, tagged as anadj, pronounced \sœl\.

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 33994, this pair ranks #286,870 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sensés vs seules

Shared letters: es. Private to "sensés": . Private to "seules": lu.

"sensés" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "seules" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • seulesesules · selues · seuels · seuless · seulles · seulse · sseules · sueles

Frequency comparison

sensés#31,255
seules#2,739

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sensés" and "seules" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\sɑ̃.se\ versus \sœl\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sensés" or "seules"?
"seules" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,739 in our French list, against #31,255 for "sensés". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sensés vs seules

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sensés” 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