Word Confusion: Protégé versus Protégée

Posted April 9, 2015 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
10 July 2023

I’ve not experienced writers confusing the definition of protégé so much as noting the confusion over gender application. Yep, it’s another one of those French gender differences that require an extra e, a declension, to distinguish the feminine from the masculine.

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Exploring Later . . .

Other gender-challenged words include “Attach vs Attaché vs Attachée“, Charge d’affaires vs Chargee d’affaires“, and “Fiancé versus Fiancée“.

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Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

If you found this post on “Protégé versus Protégée” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.

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Protégé Protégée

A young boy listens to an old man

A Young Boy Listens to the Wise Words of an Old Man is courtesy of under the CC BY 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.

His young protégé listens to his wise words.


A girl in a three-legged race with a woman

Second Class Amber Gamez and Her Mentee Hop Their Way to Victory in a Three-Legged Race by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher S. Wilson for the U.S. Navy photo is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Gamez wins the race with the help of her protégée.

Part of Grammar:
Noun

Plural for the noun: protégés

Noun

Plural for the noun: protégées

MALE


A man who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced or influential person
FEMALE


A woman who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced or influential person
Examples:
He was an aide and protégé of the former Tennessee senator. She was an aide and protégée of the former Tennessee senator.
History of the Word:
Late 18th century French, literally meaning protected. It’s a past participle of protéger, from the Latin protegere meaning cover in front.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Protégé versus Protégée

Apple Dictionary.com

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Pinterest Photo Credits

Father And Son by Circe Denyer is from Public Domain Pictures and Mother and Daughter by Iqbal Stock is from Pixabay. Both are in the public domain.

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