Is « silence » masculine or feminine?
« silence » is masculine. You say le silence.
Article forms
| With the definite article | le silence |
| With the indefinite article | un silence |
| With the partitive article | du silence |
Plural
The plural is silences (les silences). A noun keeps its gender in the plural; only the article stops showing it.
Why the gender
silence ends in
-ence. Nouns ending in
-ence are usually feminine,
so silence is one of the exceptions: it is
masculine.
The full rules by ending cover every common
suffix.
Related words
Other common nouns that end the same way:
Common questions
Is « silence » masculine or feminine?
« silence » is masculine. You say le silence.
Is it « la silence » or « le silence »?
It is « le silence ». « la silence » is incorrect.
Check another word, or read the complete guide to French noun gender.