utiliséesvsutilisentWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,298
“utilisées” frequency rank
#3,425
“utilisent” frequency rank
7723
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature utilisées utilisent
Definition Participe passé féminin pluriel de utiliser. Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de utiliser.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
utilisées
9 ch
utilisent

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. utilisées (\y.ti.li.ze\) and utilisent (\y.ti.liz\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7723, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

utilisées is recorded at frequency rank #4,298, classified as averb, pronounced \y.ti.li.ze\. utilisent is at rank #3,425, tagged as averb, pronounced \y.ti.liz\.

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 7723, this pair ranks #422,311 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of utilisées vs utilisent

Shared letters: eilstu. Private to "utilisées": é. Private to "utilisent": n.

"utilisées" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVVC  ·  "utilisent" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • utilisenttuilisent · uitlisent · utiilsent · utiliesnt · utilisennt · utilisentt · utilisetn · utilisnet

Frequency comparison

utilisées#4,298
utilisent#3,425

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "utilisées" and "utilisent" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\y.ti.li.ze\ versus \y.ti.liz\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "utilisées" or "utilisent"?
"utilisent" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,425 in our French list, against #4,298 for "utilisées". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering utilisées vs utilisent

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 “utilisées” 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