hilare vs hilarant

Question

When I looked up the vocab word 'hilarious' on my own I got hilare, but when I used it in the exercise it was marked wrong.

Accepted Answer

This is an interesting question Stephanie, in fact, both words exist but are used differently.
The adjective 'hilare' which describes a state of being cheerful is used with people describing a state of gaiety, more aking to merry.
The adjective 'hilarant/e' isused with nonliving things like anecdotes, jokes, comments, etc. as in the text -
hilarious mishaps = des mésaventure hilarantes

C'était une histoire hilarante = It was a hilarious story
C'était une personne hilare = She was a merry person

Bonne Continuation!