subtilesvssubtilitésWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: subtiles is a adjective, subtilités is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“subtiles” is an adjective and “subtilités” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#25,141
“subtiles” frequency rank
#23,383
“subtilités” frequency rank
48524
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature subtiles subtilités
Definition Féminin pluriel de subtil. Pluriel de subtilité.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set subtiles and subtilités apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
subtiles
10 ch
subtilités

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: subtiles is \syp.til\ while subtilités is \syp.ti.li.te\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48524, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

subtiles is recorded at frequency rank #25,141, classified as anadj, pronounced \syp.til\. subtilités is at rank #23,383, tagged as anoun, pronounced \syp.ti.li.te\.

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 48524, this pair ranks #178,231 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of subtiles vs subtilités

Shared letters: bilstu. Private to "subtiles": e. Private to "subtilités": é.

"subtiles" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "subtilités" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • subtilessbutiles · ssubtiles · subbtiles · subitles · subtiels · subtiless · subtilles · subtilse

Frequency comparison

subtiles#25,141
subtilités#23,383

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "subtiles" and "subtilités" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "subtiles" is an adjective and "subtilités" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "subtiles" or "subtilités"?
"subtilités" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,383 in our French list, against #25,141 for "subtiles". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering subtiles vs subtilités

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “subtiles”; for a noun, it's “subtilités”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “subtiles” 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