Which to use
“vacance” and “valence” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,381
- “vacance” frequency rank
- #7,635
- “valence” frequency rank
- 22016
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vacance | valence |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | État d'une charge, d'une dignité, d'un poste vacant. | Nombre maximum de liaisons chimiques qu’un atome peut former avec un autre atome donné. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vacance and valence apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. vacance (\va.kɑ̃s\) and valence (\va.lɑ̃s\) 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 22016, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vacance is recorded at frequency rank #14,381, classified as anoun, pronounced \va.kɑ̃s\. valence is at rank #7,635, tagged as anoun, pronounced \va.lɑ̃s\.
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 22016, this pair ranks #360,232 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vacance vs valence
Shared letters: acenv. Private to "vacance": -. Private to "valence": l.
"vacance" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "valence" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vacance" and "valence" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vacance" or "valence"?
Remembering vacance vs valence
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 “vacance” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable