Commonly confused words in French
There are some words in French that are easily mixed up; maybe they have a similar meaning, a similar pronunciation or maybe they are false friends with another language. Luckily, we’ve collected some of the most common confusing words in French and explained the difference. Check them out then test yourself in the free exercises!
Grammatical homophones are words that sound the same but have different grammatical functions and therefore different meanings. Click through to learn how to tell the difference between these tricky little words.
- Examples:
- Où allez-vous ?Where are you going?
- Tu veux une glace à la vanille ou au chocolat ?Do you want vanilla or chocolate ice cream?
In French, homonyms (les homonymes) are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. Use our list of the most common French homonyms to learn to tell the difference between these tricky words.
- Example:
- Je suis censé écrire un texte sensé sur ce thème difficile.I’m supposed to write a meaningful text about this difficult topic.
In French, paronyms (les paronymes) are words that closely resemble one another without being true homonyms. They are pronounced and written differently, however they are so similar that it’s easy to mix them up.
- Examples:
- Les architectes redoutent que l’inclinaison du terrain ne pose problème.The architects are afraid that the slope of the land will be a problem.
- Christine a suivi son inclination pour le ballet et est devenue professeur de danse.Christine followed her passion for ballet and became a dance teacher.
There are many words that are easy to mix up in French! Maybe they have similar meanings, spellings or pronunciations, or maybe they’re false friends with another language. Either way, Lingolia’s got you covered with our pages all about the most common confusing words in French.
- Example:
- Je vais
visiter ma grand-mère demain.
- → Je vais rendre visite à ma grand-mère demain.I’m going to visit my grandma tomorrow.