systèmevssystemsConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#340
“système” frequency rank
#18,887
“systems” frequency rank
19227
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature système systems
Definition Ensemble d’éléments, de concepts reliés, organisés en une structure. Pluriel de system.

Where the eye mixes système and systems

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
système
7 ch
systems

Look-alike desk: système vs systems

A purely visual mix-up. système (\sis.tɛm\) and systems (\ˈsɪs.təmz\) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19227, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

système is recorded at frequency rank #340, classified as anoun, pronounced \sis.tɛm\. systems is at rank #18,887, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈsɪs.təmz\.

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 19227, this pair ranks #374,311 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of système vs systems

Shared letters: emsty. Private to "système": è. Private to "systems": -.

"système" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "systems" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • systemsssystems · ssytems · sysetms · sysstems · systemms · systemss · systesm · systmes

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "système" and "systems" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (\sis.tɛm\ versus \ˈsɪs.təmz\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "système" or "systems"?
"système" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #340 in our French list, against #18,887 for "systems". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "système" and "systems" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "système" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "systems" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #374,311 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "système" and "systems" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sisters vs systems". 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 #374,311 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list