Everyone’s Getting This Non-Existent Word Wrong – Find Out Which!

Many individuals unknowingly make mistakes simply because certain words are easily confused. From homophones—words that sound the same but are spelled differently—to similar phrases with varying letters or accents, the French language is full of pitfalls. Take, for example, the difference between ‘différent’ and ‘différend’ or ‘accès’ and ‘excès’: a single letter can change the meaning entirely. Not to mention grammatical mix-ups like ‘ce’ and ‘se’, which seem straightforward until they frequently trip up many young people. These are minor errors, but they easily creep into everyday writing.

One word in particular often slips into professional settings, especially among individuals starting a business and bringing a project to life. The word in question is “entreprenariat,” as many would instinctively write. However, this spelling is incorrect. The correct term is “entrepreneuriat.” The common mistake usually stems from confusion with the word “partenariat,” but “entreprenariat” does not actually exist.

The French Academy also points this out on its website: the term entrepreneuriat “should neither be pronounced nor written as ‘entreprenariat’.” This rule also applies to another similar term, “entrepreneurial.” As the institution clarifies, there are a few words ending in -eur, which are less common, “whose adjectival derivative ends in -eural. This is the case with seigneurial, but also entrepreneurial.” These should not be confused with words ending in -aire, like notaire, which lead to adjectives ending in -arial, such as notarial. Therefore, one should also avoid saying or writing ‘entreprenarial’.