xénophobevsxénophobieWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#29,597
“xénophobe” frequency rank
#26,226
“xénophobie” frequency rank
55823
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature xénophobe xénophobie
Definition Qui rejette ou qui déteste les étrangers ou ce qui provient de l’étranger. Réaction ou sentiment de rejet des étrangers ou de ce qui provient de l’étranger.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
xénophobe
10 ch
xénophobie

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: xénophobe is \ɡze.no.fɔb\ while xénophobie is \ɡze.nɔ.fɔ.bi\. 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 55823, 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\. xénophobie is at rank #26,226, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɡze.nɔ.fɔ.bi\.

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 55823, this pair ranks #124,999 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of xénophobe vs xénophobie

Shared letters: behnopxé. Private to "xénophobe": -. Private to "xénophobie": i.

"xénophobe" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV  ·  "xénophobie" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVV

Frequency comparison

xénophobe#29,597
xénophobie#26,226

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "xénophobe" and "xénophobie" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "xénophobe" is an adjective and "xénophobie" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "xénophobe" or "xénophobie"?
"xénophobie" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,226 in our French list, against #29,597 for "xénophobe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering xénophobe vs xénophobie

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “xénophobe”; for a noun, it's “xénophobie”.
  • 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