What problem does this check look for?
In French, accents and other diacritical marks have orthographic value. A form written without the required mark can represent another word, create ambiguity, or make the text harder to interpret in context.
The problem cannot be handled safely by mechanically adding an accent. Some unaccented sequences correspond to more than one valid French form, so the correct choice depends on the word's role and intended meaning in the sentence.
Examples that show why context matters
The examples below are illustrative. They explain the difference between a form that may need an orthographic mark and a case that requires context; they are not findings measured in a store.
problemeproblèmeAn illustrative French word where the grave accent can be part of the correct spelling.
a Parisà ParisSentence context can show that the preposition «à» is required rather than the verb form «a».
ouou / oùWithout context, the sequence can correspond to the conjunction «ou» or the adverb/pronoun «où»; the choice must not be arbitrary.
What does PROVEN check?
Checks French terms where diacritics may be missing and separates unique matches from ambiguous cases.
Why does it matter?
Missing diacritics can change a word form or meaning, and some unaccented forms have multiple valid interpretations.
Why is this useful to a merchant?
The value of the check is separating an orthographic signal from the decision about the final wording. A suspicious term can be surfaced without claiming that any accented alternative is automatically correct.
That boundary matters in product content, where a small-looking edit can change meaning. A finding should be used as evidence for review, while product context remains authoritative for the final wording choice.
What can PROVEN do?
PROVEN can flag the term and possible orthographic forms; the correct form remains for your review.
How PROVEN handles this check
The published workflow keeps detection of a suspicious form separate from the final orthographic choice.
- Identify relevant termsPROVEN checks French terms where diacritics may be missing and surfaces them as signals for analysis.
- Separate the casesThe check distinguishes unique matches from cases where the same unaccented form can have more than one valid interpretation.
- Present forms for reviewPROVEN can flag possible orthographic forms, but the correct form remains for merchant review before any wording change.
Why is your review required?
The detector is published as requiring review because an unaccented sequence can have multiple valid interpretations. Sentence context, the product being described, and the intended meaning can be necessary to choose the correct form.
The «Needs your review» label does not mean every surfaced term is certainly wrong. It means the finding does not authorize an arbitrary automatic replacement.
What this page does not claim
- The existence of the detector does not mean that your store contains this problem.
- The examples are explanatory and are not measured findings from a real catalog.
- This check is not a general French grammar or spelling checker.
- Ambiguous cases remain subject to review and are not turned into automatic corrections.
- Language-specific checks need to be applied to content for which the relevant language is appropriate.
Frequently asked questions
Does PROVEN automatically add missing French accents?
No. The documented behavior of the check says PROVEN can flag the term and possible orthographic forms; the correct form remains subject to review.
Why is an automatic replacement not enough?
Because some unaccented forms can correspond to multiple valid French words. Examples such as «ou» and «où» show that the correct choice depends on context and meaning.
Does this detector check all French grammar?
No. The check is limited to potentially missing French diacritics and separates clear from ambiguous cases; it is not a general language checker.
Does this page prove that my store has the problem?
No. The page explains the public detector. Store-specific findings can only come from actually analysing the data available for that store.
Sources and linguistic context
For the orthographic and distinctive role of accents in French, this page points to linguistic sources independent of PROVEN.
- Académie française — Accentuation des majusculesAcadémie française states that accents have full orthographic value in French and that omitting them can slow reading or cause misunderstanding.
- Office québécois de la langue française — Les accents : fonctions et histoireOQLF documents the phonetic and distinctive functions of accents, including distinctions between homophones such as «ou» and «où».