suspenduvssuspensWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,930
“suspendu” frequency rank
#13,273
“suspens” frequency rank
19203
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature suspendu suspens
Definition Dont la suspension est bonne. Qu’on a suspendu de ses fonctions, en parlant d’un ecclésiastique suspendu des fonctions de son état.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set suspendu and suspens apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
suspendu
7 ch
suspens

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. suspendu (\sys.pɑ̃.dy\) and suspens (\sys.pɑ̃\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19203, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

suspendu is recorded at frequency rank #5,930, classified as anadj, pronounced \sys.pɑ̃.dy\. suspens is at rank #13,273, tagged as anadj, pronounced \sys.pɑ̃\.

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 19203, this pair ranks #374,432 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of suspendu vs suspens

Shared letters: enpsu. Private to "suspendu": d. Private to "suspens": -.

"suspendu" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "suspens" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • suspendussupendu · ssuspendu · supsendu · susepndu · suspednu · suspenddu · suspenndu · suspenud
  • suspensssupens · ssuspens · supsens · susepns · suspenns · suspenss · suspesn · suspnes

Frequency comparison

suspendu#5,930
suspens#13,273

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "suspendu" and "suspens" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\sys.pɑ̃.dy\ versus \sys.pɑ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "suspendu" or "suspens"?
"suspendu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,930 in our French list, against #13,273 for "suspens". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering suspendu vs suspens

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 “suspendu” 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