Which to use
“suspens” is an adjective and “suspense” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,273
- “suspens” frequency rank
- #13,075
- “suspense” frequency rank
- 26348
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | suspens | suspense |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qu’on a suspendu de ses fonctions, en parlant d’un ecclésiastique suspendu des fonctions de son état. | Censure par laquelle un ecclésiastique est déclaré suspens. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set suspens and suspense apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: suspens is \sys.pɑ̃\ while suspense is \sys.pɑ̃s\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “suspens” sits inside “suspense”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26348, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
suspens is recorded at frequency rank #13,273, classified as anadj, pronounced \sys.pɑ̃\. suspense is at rank #13,075, tagged as anoun, pronounced \sys.pɑ̃s\.
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 26348, this pair ranks #335,576 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of suspens vs suspense
Shared letters: enpsu. Private to "suspens": -. Private to "suspense": -.
"suspens" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "suspense" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "suspens" and "suspense" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "suspens" or "suspense"?
Remembering suspens vs suspense
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “suspens”; for a noun, it's “suspense”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “suspens” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable