Is « ignorance » masculine or feminine?

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

Article forms

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

Plural

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

Why the gender

ignorance ends in -ance. Nouns ending in -ance are usually feminine, so ignorance 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 « ignorance » masculine or feminine?

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

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

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


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