variantesvsvariétésWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: variantes is a adjective, variétés is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“variantes” is an adjective and “variétés” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,967
“variantes” frequency rank
#6,571
“variétés” frequency rank
17538
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature variantes variétés
Definition Féminin pluriel de variant. Pluriel de variété.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
variantes
8 ch
variétés

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: variantes is \va.ʁjɑ̃t\ while variétés is \va.ʁje.te\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17538, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

variantes is recorded at frequency rank #10,967, classified as anadj, pronounced \va.ʁjɑ̃t\. variétés is at rank #6,571, tagged as anoun, pronounced \va.ʁje.te\.

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 17538, this pair ranks #382,661 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of variantes vs variétés

Shared letters: airstv. Private to "variantes": en. Private to "variétés": é.

"variantes" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC  ·  "variétés" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • variantesavriantes · vairantes · varaintes · varianets · varianntes · variantess · variantse · varianttes

Frequency comparison

variantes#10,967
variétés#6,571

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "variantes" and "variétés" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "variantes" is an adjective and "variétés" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "variantes" or "variétés"?
"variétés" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,571 in our French list, against #10,967 for "variantes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering variantes vs variétés

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “variantes”; for a noun, it's “variétés”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “variantes” 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