Is « importance » masculine or feminine?

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

Article forms

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

Plural

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

Why the gender

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

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

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

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


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