Which to use
“solution” and “solutions” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #911
- “solution” frequency rank
- #2,103
- “solutions” frequency rank
- 3014
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | solution | solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (Couramment) Moyen. | Pluriel de solution. |
Where the eye mixes solution and solutions
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: solution vs solutions
A purely visual mix-up. solution (\so.ly.sjɔ̃\) and solutions (\sɔ.ly.sjɔ̃\) 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 extra letter(s) - “solution” sits inside “solutions”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3014, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
solution is recorded at frequency rank #911, classified as anoun, pronounced \so.ly.sjɔ̃\. solutions is at rank #2,103, tagged as anoun, pronounced \sɔ.ly.sjɔ̃\.
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 3014, this pair ranks #434,997 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of solution vs solutions
Shared letters: ilnostu. Private to "solution": -. Private to "solutions": -.
"solution" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC · "solutions" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "solution" for "solutions" ever safe?
Which is more common, "solution" or "solutions"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "solution" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "solutions" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #434,997 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "solution" and "solutions" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "solutions vs soutiens". 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 #434,997 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.