xénophobevsxénophobesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,597
“xénophobe” frequency rank
#31,784
“xénophobes” frequency rank
61381
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature xénophobe xénophobes
Definition Qui rejette ou qui déteste les étrangers ou ce qui provient de l’étranger. Pluriel de xénophobe.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set xénophobe and xénophobes apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
xénophobe
10 ch
xénophobes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. xénophobe and xénophobes are pronounced identically (\ɡze.no.fɔb\) and both work as anadjective. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “xénophobe” sits inside “xénophobes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61381, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

xénophobe is recorded at frequency rank #29,597, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɡze.no.fɔb\. xénophobes is at rank #31,784, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ɡze.no.fɔb\.

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 61381, this pair ranks #92,589 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of xénophobe vs xénophobes

Shared letters: behnopxé. Private to "xénophobe": -. Private to "xénophobes": s.

"xénophobe" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV  ·  "xénophobes" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

xénophobe#29,597
xénophobes#31,784

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "xénophobe" and "xénophobes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\ɡze.no.fɔb\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.
Which is more common, "xénophobe" or "xénophobes"?
"xénophobe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,597 in our French list, against #31,784 for "xénophobes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering xénophobe vs xénophobes

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 “xénophobe” 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