Is « enfance » masculine or feminine?

« enfance » is feminine. You say l'enfance.

Article forms

With the definite article l'enfance
With the indefinite article une enfance
With the partitive article de l'enfance

Plural

The plural is enfances (les enfances). A noun keeps its gender in the plural; only the article stops showing it.

Why the gender

enfance ends in -ance. Nouns ending in -ance are usually feminine, so enfance follows the pattern. The full rules by ending cover every common suffix.

Related words

Other common nouns that end the same way:

Common questions

Is « enfance » masculine or feminine?

« enfance » is feminine. You say l'enfance.

« l'enfance » hides the gender. Is « enfance » masculine or feminine?

It is feminine. The article shortens to « l'enfance » for both genders, but you say une enfance, not un enfance, and adjectives take the feminine form.


Check another word, or read the complete guide to French noun gender.