Here are a few words that you might come across reading and writing. Some look alike, but don’t sound the same. Others sound the same, but write differently!
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exigent, exigeant
demanding (adj.):
… Is it exigEANT or exigENT?
Indeed the correct form is exigEANT /egg zee zhon/ (LISTEN).
Ce devoir est exigeant. (LISTEN)
This paper is demanding / challenging.
C’est une personne exigeante. (LISTEN)
This person is demanding / hard to please.
La médecine et le droit sont des professions exigeantes. (LISTEN)
Medecine and law are demanding occupations.
N’acceptez pas l’échec. Soyez exigeants envers vous-mêmes. (LISTEN)
Don’t accept failure. Demand more of yourselves.
If it were to be written exigENT, it would be pronounced /egg see zhuh/ (LISTEN) and would mean (they) demand:
Ils exigent un remboursement. (LISTEN)
They demand a refund.
exigence
requirement (n.):
A requirement, demand or claim, as a noun, is written exigENCE /egg zee zhon suh/ (LISTEN).
Pour réussir, les étudiants doivent satisfaire à des exigences spécifiques. (LISTEN)
In order to succeed, students must fulfill specific requirements.
C’est une exigence impossible à respecter. (LISTEN)
It’s an impossible requirement to meet /
In any endeavor this is an impossible measure to meet. (Linguee)
Here a little video from Projet Voltaire:
Others:
Intransigeant
uncompromising (adj.):
Unlike English, in French this word ends in EANT: instransigEANT /ehn tron zee zhon/ (LISTEN)
Les étudiants se plaignent du professeur intransigeant. (LISTEN)
Students complain that the teacher is unreasonable.
arrangeant, arrangent
accommodating (adj.):
.. arrangeant, arrangent?
Definitively arrangEANT /ahr on zhon/ (LISTEN)
Son style de leadership est arrangeant. (LISTEN)
His/her/their style of leadership is accomodating.
Because written like this: arrangENT, it is pronounced /ahr on zhuh/ (LISTEN) and is actually being conjugated, meaning (they) arrange:
Tous ces petits problèmes n’arrangent pas les choses. (LISTEN)
All these little glitches are not helpful to the situation.
entregent
social skills (n.):
This one is a funny little word, useful when writing your resume, but seldom used otherwise. And it is written ENT:
de l’entregENT /dull on truh zhon/ (LISTEN)
some social skills
Nous recherchons une personne dynamique, fiable, et qui a de l’entregent. (LISTEN)
We are looking for somebody who is dynamic, reliable and who has good social skills.
détergent
detergent (n.):
Easy peasy, this one writes détergENT just like in English. However it pronounces /day tear zhon/ (LISTEN)
Ils sont sensibles aux détergents trop forts. (LISTEN)
They are sensitive to detergents that are too strong.
Can you suggest other words ending in “ent” or “eant”?
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